Mouthwatering Hibachi Entrees and More

It seems Yamato doesn’t roll off the tongue that easily. Yamato was originally the area around today's Sakurai City in the Nara Prefecture of Japan. Later the term was used as the name of the province and also as one of the ancient names of Japan. The term was semantically extended to mean “Japan” or “Japanese” in general, and carries many of the same connotations as America does for the United States.

Yamato Japanese Steak House & Seafood in Johnson City, Tennessee, is a small, quaint restaurant snuggled in the same shopping center as Food City, US $2.50 Cleaners, and other tenants on the North State of Franklin where it intersects with West Market Street. The restaurant is a family-owned restaurant which was opened in 1998. It is the first and only restaurant in town which offers fixed and same priced lunch and dinner menus that are super affordable all the year round. The outstanding restaurant was once reported on by the local media---Johnson City Press --- for being a wonderfully mysterious dining experience, “The restaurant is carrying on the ancient art of Teppanyaki - hibachi style cooking and serving of Japanese food in a modern, relaxed atmosphere.”

Food & Sauces

If you’ve dined at a Japanese restaurant before, you’ll be familiar with the entrees here at Yamato. It has the usuals, including Sesame Chicken, Yakinuku, Pepper Steak, Vegetable Medley, Spicy Pepper Chicken, shrimp, scallop, Sirloin Steak and Fillet Mignon.

Lam takes special pride in his Sesame Chicken, Yakinuku, Shrimp, and Fillet Mignon which are four of the most-ordered dishes. “We lovingly use the highest quality ingredients and prepare the most tender chicken and steak. Take the Sesame Chicken, our top selling chicken dish, for example. Mouth-watering fresh chicken tenders are sautéed in our secret homemade teriyaki sauce,” Lam explains.

The Fillet Mignon is another top recommendation. Eaters love how it is prepared by chefs and they notice that it’s hard to find another place that serves it is as tender as Yamato.

It is commonly known by Japanese cuisine fans that sauce is a very important element of Japanese cuisine and is always served with any set course meal. Here at Yamato, chefs make excellent, unbeatable shrimp sauce to go with rice, meat and vegetables and the ginger sauce, which tastes sweet and sour, for salad, beef or chicken. Lam told ARN that customers are addicted to the creamy shrimp sauce that his restaurant offers. You may say shrimp sauce is a tasty but common sauce, yet Yamato’s is more than ordinary that made with mayo and different spices adhering to a secret formula list. Thus, Yamato’s shrimp sauce sells exceptionally well and generous portions are sold in large to-go quantities.

Unlike most hibachi restaurants where a chef cooks your meal right in front of you on a tabletop grill, at Yamato’s limited space, the Teppanyaki grills are arranged in the kitchen behind the dining room. It sounds like it may cast a damper over customers, especially youngsters, who enjoy watching the hibachi chefs showing their culinary tricks. However, most of the customers express their understanding and even take it to be a unique hibachi experience. “I was surprised when my food was presented to me, freshly and aromatically, no sooner after my order was placed. I prefer Yamato because my dish is served promptly instead of sitting beside the grill, watching chefs ‘playing’ with my food in front of my eyes yet I am not able to eat it when I am starving,” writes one online reviewer.

“Go and enjoy high quality and generous portions with a competitive price at Yamato,” raves another online review.

“Without Customers We Go Nowhere.”

Yamato’s interior is simply decorated. The restaurant can accommodate 68 patrons within its 1,800 ft2 area. Seeming to be too small to satisfy demand, there is always a long line of people inside the restaurant during peak weekday hours and weekends.

Lam knows the flow of customers keeps the restaurant alive. “To start, you need to plan your strategy very well. Your restaurant has to focus on some key elements that'll set it apart from the thousands of other eateries out there. These could be location, cuisine, decoration, or even price,” Lam suggested, “The most important thing, again, is to know your target and main clientele.”

After taking over the establishment from the previous owner, the first thing Lam did was to do a thorough cleaning and disinfestation of the restaurant, especially in the kitchen and restroom. In his opinion, apart from hearty food, having high-standards for sanitation is a must and also shows his respect for his customers.

Lam has set up guidelines for the kitchen staff and wait staff. He is very attentive to each tiny detail in the cooking process and food presentation. “We make every endeavor to satisfy our customers,” said Lam. Whenever customers enter Yamato, they are guaranteed to be served with the greatest food by polite waiters.

The Golden Rule

An employee’s mood will affect their interactions with customers, playing a big part in how customers view their dining experience. As a restaurateur, Lam knows one advantage to being friends with his employees is that he has a strong, positive relationship with each one of them. The golden rule, “Treat others only as you consent to being treated in the same situation”, is something that always sticks in his mind. He understands what motivates his staff, because he has learned about their families, their interests, and their goals in life. Knowing that equality happens through treating others with respect and compassion, he’s built a very good relationship with his staff and customers. Employees with a strong connection to their boss are more likely to work longer hours, be loyal to the restaurant, and provide satisfying service.

Further Plan for the Future…

Lam is a man of ambition. He is considering opening a larger upscale Japanese restaurant not far from the present location. He believes the market for Japanese cuisine has shown great potential and is very large but also quite competitive. However, he is determined to seize this opportunity. “My goal is to gain word of mouth from customers. I hope the expansion of my restaurant will provide a more spacious dining room for my customers and bring me greater achievement in the industry,” Lam concluded.