It makes good business sense to expand on a successful concept and that’s just what the owners of two Mahzu Japanese restaurants are doing.
With current locations in the Strathmore shopping center, Aberdeen, and the Mount’s Corner shopping center, Freehold Township, the Yang family is planning to open their third Mahzu Japanese restaurant at 761 Route 33 West in the Windsor Crossing shopping center, East Windsor.
The grand opening is being planned for Oct. 26. A gala celebration is in the works.
The family consists of brothers Tung Tai, of Freehold; Peter and Bruce, both of Holmdel; and their sister Hsihua McCartney, of Sweetwater.
Peter Yang, the youngest brother, explained that Mahzu has made the American dream come true for his family, whose roots go back to Taiwan.
“Our family put down roots in this country beginning in 1988 with Black Tiger, a seafood importing business in Egg Harbor, which was opened by my brother, Bruce, and my sister, Hsihua, who still manages the business,” Peter Yang said.
“From there we opened the Aberdeen restaurant in 2000 and the Freehold restaurant in 2005. We look forward to opening the East Windsor restaurant this year and hope for success there, too,” he said.
Family is of utmost importance in the Yang family, starting with their mother, Yu Tung Hung Yang, who lives in Freehold.
“I am a grownup, but my mother still gives me orders,” Yang said. “She was always a good businesswoman and can see things much clearer than us. She has good business sense and I take her opinions very seriously.”
Their mother suggested Mahzu as the name for the restaurant because in Japanese it means “pine,” a type of wood that is strong, can endure a lot, and always survives.
Other family members involved in the business include Tung Tai’s son, Jonathan Yang, who is the manager of the Freehold Township Mahzu. He lives in Howell with his wife.
Jonathan’s brother, Poyin Yang, is a sushi chef at the Freehold Township location.
John Yang will co-manage the East Windsor Mahzu with his cousin, Minan Hung. Having moved from Taiwan to
Ecuador at the age of 13, Minan is fluent in the Spanish language.
Peter’s children, Josephine, 17, and Michael, 14, are familiar faces in the Freehold Township restaurant and everyone knows them when they visit.
In addition, the Yangs have invited their long-time attorney, Mark Berman, of Old Bridge, to join them in their business venture as a partner in the East Windsor Mahzu.
Each Mahzu restaurant employs a staff of at least 40 members of the community from all backgrounds. Combined with the employees at Black Tiger Seafood Company, close to 200 people of all backgrounds work for the family.
As they prepare to open the new restaurant, the owners of Mahzu decided to make some improvements to the existing menu at all locations. They will all continue to have three areas designated for hibachi, which is cooked by a chef right on each table; a sushi bar; and lots of tables at which patrons can dine on meals prepared in the kitchen.
According to Peter, the new menu will still offer all of the traditional seafood, meat and chicken selections with the addition of some new dishes that will be prepared with more of a Fusion flair, along with more diverse sauces.
The new East Windsor Mahzu, at 8,000 square feet, will be the largest of the three restaurants and will accommodate more than 280 patrons. The design will include a pond with a waterfall and koi fish.
Mahzu does not have a liquor license so patrons may bring their own alcoholic beverages if they so desire.