Pullman Fujiyama plans grand opening April 20

Fujiyama Japanese Steak House and Bar will open in Pullman next week on April 20. Extensive renovations have been completed on the building which once housed Denny’s Restaurant.

The grand opening for Pullman's newest restaurant has been set for next week. Fujiyama Japanese Steak House and Bar is set to open Thursday, April 20.

The restaurant will open at the site of the former Denny's restaurant, which closed suddenly in August of 2013. The building sat vacant for three years before it was purchased by Pete Chen, Fujiyama owner.

The Pullman Fujiyama will be the fourth in the chain. Others are located in Silverdale, Liberty Lake and Richland.

Yuki Zheng, Pullman Fujiyama manager, said the decision was made to expand the business here because of the college population.

“They have the college here, and lots of people who like this food,” she said.

The hibachi-style restaurant features cooking by chefs on 2x4 grills which are installed at customer tables in the restaurant. In addition to steaks, the restaurant serves seafood, chicken and appetizers. A full-service bar at the steak house will feature regional wines.

The original intention was to have Fujiyama open by the end of 2016, but renovations took longer than expected, said Zheng.

“We updated everything. That's why it took us so long,” she explained. The project has been underway for eight months.

Zheng said hiring has been ongoing for the last couple of weeks, and the staff is ready to go for the opening next week. She noted they are still hiring as well.

Fujiyama will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.