Shoji Sushi & Hibachi A hibachi chef makes fire blow out of an onion.[/caption]

The hibachi chef does not wait long to begin his tricks as he prepares a meal. Guests sit around the hibachi grill while the chef flips his spatula and grabs an egg from his food cart. He balances the egg on the spatula, flips it in the air and catches it with his hat.

More tricks follow, including bottles that shoot out string instead of sauce and an onion that is set on fire. Guests are not just getting lunch or dinner at Shoji Sushi & Hibachi; they are getting a show.

General Manager Daniel Jung said the staff at Shoji works hard to deliver the best customer experience.

“We have to be happy to deliver happiness to the customer as well,” Jung said.

Shoji opened in early 2016 in Frisco. The restaurant owner had a restaurant in Plano—which has since closed—and decided to open a new restaurant in Frisco.

Guests have several dining experience options when visiting Shoji. At one of the hibachi grills, patrons can watch a chef cook their meals in front of them while he makes jokes and does tricks with the spatula. Shoji also has a private room with a hibachi grill that can seat up to 14 people.

At the sushi bar, guests can watch chefs make one of the more than 70 sushi rolls offered at the restaurant. Customers also can choose to sit in the dining room for a more traditional dining experience.

Jung said the restaurant prides itself on offering fresh and quality food. For its steak, Shoji uses certified Angus beef, and its chicken is white meat tenderloin.

Shoji Sushi & Hibachi The lobster roll ($21.95) is one of at least 70 rolls prepared by sushi chefs at Shoji.[/caption]

Having hibachi grills allows guests to see an “open kitchen,” Jung said.

Customers “see what is being cooked on the grill and how their meals are cooked on the grill,” he said. “When the chef brings out the meal, you can see that the meat and the vegetables are fresh. We can’t lie about our steak and vegetables.”

Jung said the restaurant could expand to another location, such as Prosper or Celina, where he said many of Shoji’s customers come from.

Wherever the next location is, Jung said Shoji will continue being an entertaining family restaurant.

“When you come to a restaurant and see everybody’s happy and working hard and you eat a really good meal, through that you could be very happy, and it can be very healing as well,” he said.

Shoji Sushi & Hibachi 2575 Main St., Ste. 340 214-705-7777 www.theshoji.com Hours: Mon.-Thu. 11:15 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 5-9:45 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11:15 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 5-10:45 p.m., Sun. 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m.