Kasai Japanese Steakhouse, a 25-year-old locally owned experiential teppanyaki and sushi destination in Scottsdale, was recently sold to a Scottsdale-based restaurant group, which is looking to expand the steakhouse’s reach nationally.
EDGI, led by Robert Stidham, purchased Kasai Japanese Steakhouse and will continue to operate Kasai in its experiential teppanyaki dining style as the group expands the restaurant.
New ownership has already discussed deals with resort, casino and entertainment venue groups, using Kasai’s dining style to drive interest in the expansion.
“We’d like to franchise this business, and we’re already working with two groups that have an interest in bringing Kasai into their portfolio,” Stidham told the Phoenix Business Journal.
Kasai’s first franchise agreement could come as early as the fourth quarter of this year.
Stidham believes the restaurant’s experiential dining will continue to thrive as consumers become more selective “with discretionary spending and seek destination-style dining,” a news release said.
“Today’s economy and in this environment where consumers have less discretionary income and they’re being more discerning about where they want to spend their leisure dollars,” Stidham said. “We are an experiential destination that I think fits well with where the market has gone.”
