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Benihana Express applies for liquor license and tenant build-out permit in Denver

Benihana Express applies for liquor license and tenant build-out permit in Denver

Built World Denver, CO local

The fast-casual offshoot of the teppanyaki chain would fill an empty storefront on the 16th Street Mall as its third Colorado location.

August 19th, 2026: Denver lists Benihana Express liquor license and build-out permit

Overview

Updated 46 minutes ago

Benihana Express is one step closer to opening in downtown Denver. The fast-casual offshoot of the teppanyaki chain has a pending hotel-and-restaurant liquor license and an August 19 commercial construction permit on record for a unit listed at 1370 16th St. (Press reports cite the address as 1380 16th St.)

The tenant finish would fill a ground-floor storefront in the 16M Building, space that has sat empty since a Panera Bread closed in 2024. Benihana's owner, The ONE Group, bought the 80-unit chain in 2024 for $365 million and is pushing the Express format into dense city corridors. No opening date has been announced.

Why it matters

The build-out signals landlords still want restaurant tenants on the 16th Street Mall after years of vacancies and construction.

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Key Indicators

$650K
Estimated tenant build-out cost
City documents cited by the Denver Post peg the build-out at $650,000.
3rd
Planned Benihana location in Colorado
Two full-service Benihana restaurants operate in Broomfield and southeast Denver.
80 units
Benihana locations owned by The ONE Group
The chain had 80 units when it was acquired in 2024.
$365M
2024 acquisition price
Price The ONE Group paid for the teppanyaki chain.

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People Involved

Organizations Involved

Timeline

January 2024 August 2026

3 events Latest: August 19th, 2026 · 1 month ago
  1. Denver lists Benihana Express liquor license and build-out permit

    Latest Permit

    Denver portal lists pending liquor license and August 19 construction permit for 1370 16th St.

  2. Benihana Express tied to 16th Street Mall site

    Announcement

    Denver Post reports Benihana Express plans for 1380 16th St, a $650,000 build-out.

  3. The ONE Group buys Benihana

    Acquisition

    In 2024, The ONE Group acquired Benihana for $365 million, adding the 80-unit chain.

Scenarios

1

Benihana Express opens on the 16th Street Mall by mid-2027

Likely Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: Denver Post, KOSI 101, and BusinessDen coverage of the planned opening

The tenant finish proceeds, the liquor license is approved, and the location opens. That would give the 16th Street Mall a second new restaurant neighbor beside Mendocino Farms in the space Panera left vacant in 2024.

2

Opening slides past mid-2027

Possible Resolves by Jul 31, 2027

Discussed by: BusinessDen reporting that city documents peg the build-out at $650,000 with no opening date announced

Permit review and construction take longer than expected, keeping the restaurant closed past mid-2027 while the license stays pending. The project remains alive but behind schedule.

3

Denver Benihana Express is scrapped

Unlikely Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Hoodline reporting on the 16th Street Mall's years of construction and safety concerns

The liquor license is denied or withdrawn and the lease falls through, leaving the storefront empty again. The parent company pivots its expansion dollars elsewhere.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

1964

Benihana's New York debut (1964)

Rocky Aoki opened the first Benihana on West 56th Street in Manhattan, where chefs cooked steaks and shrimp on hibachi grills at the table. The theatrical format turned dinner into a show and drew celebrity regulars.

Then

The restaurant became a hit and spawned a national chain built on teppanyaki theater.

Now

By the 2020s the chain had roughly 80 units, and the brand became a template for American hibachi dining.

Why this matters now

Benihana Express deliberately strips out the tableside theater that made the brand famous, replacing it with counter service for fast-casual locations. The Denver permit shows the brand betting on a format Aoki never built.

1973-1983

Panda Inn to Panda Express (1973-1983)

Andrew Cherng opened Panda Inn, a sit-down Chinese restaurant in Pasadena, California, in 1973. A decade later he launched Panda Express as a food-court spinoff selling similar dishes at counter service.

Then

The food-court format expanded quickly through malls and airports.

Now

Panda Express grew to thousands of locations, dwarfing the original sit-down restaurants and proving an Asian full-service brand could win as fast-casual.

Why this matters now

Benihana Express is following the same playbook: take an established sit-down Asian brand, strip the service, and push into high-traffic urban and venue locations. The Denver lease is part of that larger rollout.

Sources

(5)

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