Exhibit 31.01

CERTIFICATION

|                                   |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
|---------------------------------- | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|I, Joel A. Schwartz, certify that:
|                                  
|1.                                 | I have reviewed this Annual Report on Form
  10-K of Benihana Inc.;                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
|                                   |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
|2.                                 | Based on my knowledge, this report does not
  contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material
  fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances
  under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the
  period covered by this report;                                                                                   
|                                   |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
|3.                                 | Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial
  information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects
  the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the
  registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;                                                                                                        
|                                   |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
|4.                                 | The registrants other certifying officer and I are responsible for
  establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined
  in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal controls over
  financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f))
  for the registrant and we have:                                                     
|                                   |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
|                                   | (a) designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such
  disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to
  ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its
  consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those
  entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being
  prepared;         
|                                   |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
|                                   | (b) designed such internal control over financial reporting, or
  caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under
  our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of
  financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external
  purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;                  
|                                   |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
|                                   | (c) evaluated the effectiveness of the registrants disclosure
  controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about
  the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of
  the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and                                                                                                        
|                                   |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
|                                   | (d) disclosed in this report any change in the registrants internal
  control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrants most
  recent fiscal quarter (the registrants fourth fiscal quarter in the case of
  an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to
  materially affect, the registrants internal control over financial
  reporting; and
|                                   |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
|5.                                 | The registrants other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based
  on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting,
  to the registrants auditors and the audit committee of the registrants
  board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):                                                                                                
|                                   |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
|                                   | (a) all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the
  design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are
  reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrants ability to record,
  process, summarize and report financial information; and                                                                                                                  
|                                   |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
|                                   | (b) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or
  other employees who have a significant role in the registrants internal
  control over financial reporting.                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

|                        | 
|----------------------- | 
|/s/ Joel A. Schwartz    | 
|                        | 
|Joel A. Schwartz        | 
|Chief Executive Officer | 
|                       
|June 13, 2008          

---