June 14, 2019

When Chetan Patel and his brother-in-law Darshak Patel decided to pursue opening a Teriyaki Madness franchise in Sioux Falls, they had never eaten in one of the restaurants.

Patel, who owns the Super 8 on 41st Street, told the hotel’s manager, David Hurley, that he’d like to buy a restaurant.

“He mentioned that when he used to live in Vegas, he would eat there three or four times a week,” Patel said.

That convinced him to check into the Denver-based franchise, and after the Patels traveled to the headquarters to learn about the company and try the food, they signed an agreement to open South Dakota’s first Teriyaki Madness in a retail center on Louise Avenue just north of 57th Street.

“It’s tasty and healthy, and everything is fresh. Nothing is frozen,” Patel said. “That’s what I like about it.”

Each bowl is made fresh when it’s ordered, said Darshak Patel, who also will serve as the manager.

“Our overall goal is to keep our menu simple,” said Jodi Boyce, the chain’s director of marketing. “We don’t want to overcrowd it.”

There are seven bowls: chicken teriyaki, chicken breast teriyaki, spicy chicken, orange chicken, chicken katsu, beef teriyaki and tofu teriyaki – all with stir-fried vegetables and a base of white, brown or fried rice or yakisoba noodles. Customers also have the option of customizing their own entree. Bowls come in junior, regular and large sizes. Starters include edamame, crab Rangoon, chicken pot stickers and chicken egg rolls. Teriyaki Madness serves Pepsi products.

“The signature dish is the spicy chicken,” Boyce said. “It’s the one people get addicted to and keep coming back for.”

The Patels will have the 57th restaurant in the chain, which started in 2003 in Las Vegas. Teriyaki Madness is in a growth mode now, opening about 50 locations every year, Boyce said. Ninety-five percent of the sites are franchise owned.

The restaurant will have a sneak peek Saturday. From 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 5 to 6:30 p.m., the first 100 people will get a free bowl. A soft opening is Monday, and the grand opening is Tuesday, Patel said.

The first five customers to buy an entree Tuesday will get free bowls for a year, and the next 20 people will get free bowls for a month.

The restaurant is still hiring for full- and part-time positions. Earlier this week, Patel had 12 people scheduled to interview one day. Only one showed up.

Teriyaki Madness will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.