Benihana Inc. Comparable Restaurant Sales up 6.7%

Benihana Inc. BNHN, operator of the nation's largest chain of Japanese theme and sushi restaurants, today reported total restaurant sales and comparable restaurant sales for the third four-week period (May 23, 2011 – June 19, 2011) of the first fiscal quarter of 2012, including the Company's seventeenth consecutive period of comparable restaurant sales growth. For the third four-week period, total restaurant sales increased year over year by 6.0% to $26.9 million from $25.3 million, and Company-wide comparable restaurant sales increased by 6.7% to $26.9 million from $25.2 million. By concept, comparable restaurant sales increased 9.3% at Benihana Teppanyaki (including 7.2% traffic growth) and 2.5% at RA Sushi and decreased 0.3% at Haru.