Hibachi2U: A Fun, Delicious Way to Bring the Party Home

When the pandemic shut down his go-to hibachi restaurant in Rockville Center, Matthew Miller had an inspired idea. 

The 28-year-old Oceanside native invited some friends over to his home, set up a makeshift hibachi in the driveway, and hired a well-known chef from the shuttered restaurant to recreate the show for them.

Miller and his friends documented the night on social media, and the chef – known as Chef Soy Sauce – became a viral sensation as social media users marveled at his signature egg-to-hat flips and vegetable tosses.

Chef Soy Sauce – real name Yurong Feng – put on quite the performance, all the way down to shooting willing guests in the mouth with a sake gun like a balloon blast carnival game.

The response was so emphatic, in fact, that Miller, a former set-builder for the movies, took the idea and ran with it. To give you a sense of how the company he founded, Hibachi2U, has taken off, what started in Miller’s driveway as a pandemic-inspired dining hack has turned into a full-time career, and the in-home hibachi experience has now caught on across the country. 

It’s been so successful that Chef Soy Sauce no longer works the grill – he is on the business side, working alongside founder Miller to bring the Hibachi2U brand experience, and its roster of performative chefs, to 17 states across the country. Many of the chefs are friends of Feng’s that struggled to find work in the COVID era.

Long Island, however, is where Hibachi2U does most of its summer business.

“The reception in the Hamptons has been incredible,” said Miller. “We see so many of our clients utilizing their beach-front properties or just beautiful backyards to host a Hibachi party. With the Hamptons restaurant scene being so competitive and the crazy lines just to get a meal in the summer months, we’ve noticed our Hamptons clientele is really loving the opportunity to stay at home, especially when they have visitors who are there for a weekend trip.”

Food-wise, the Hibachi2U experience includes salad, fried rice with an option to add noodles, hibachi vegetables, and the choice of two proteins per party-goer. Customers can choose shrimp, filet, steak, chicken, tofu, scallops, or lobster. Chefs can also accommodate gluten-free orders and people with allergies.

But it’s the hibachi chefs, said Miller, who are the heart and soul of the operation, and the true stars of the show. “They are all so passionate about their jobs and love the flexibility to work outside the restaurant industry,” said Miller.

“Not only do we receive great reviews for the food, but our customers love that they get two hours of entertainment in the comfort of their own home. Our chefs all have unique personalities (and names) and bring energy that is unmatched – they’ll make you laugh, get you behind the grill flipping eggs and for those groups of legal drinking age, they’ll always make sure there is no shortage of sake. We make the overall experience very easy for the customer, all they have to do is provide tables and basic utensils, and we bring everything else. It is the easiest, most affordable yet the most memorable party you can throw.”

And when Miller says affordable, he means it. At $50 per party-goer (plus tip) – and with unlimited sake ready to be brandished – it’s real bang for your buck.  

“That’s something we strive for as we want as many people as possible to be able to afford a party,” said Miller. “We’re confident that once you have one party, that client will book another and even better- somebody who was just a guest at their friend’s party, will then go home and book their own with a whole new group of people. We have been all word of mouth since inception and we have grown so quickly because of this strategy.”

For more information, or to book an event, visit: hibachi2u.com.