First LI Teriyaki Madness Opens In North Babylon

NORTH BABYLON, NY — A new fast-casual restaurant is open for business in North Babylon, as Teriyaki Madness officially opened its first Long Island location Friday at 1201 Deer Park Ave.

The Seattle-style teriyaki chain, which has grown to more than 200 locations nationwide, is now establishing a presence in the Long Island market, beginning in North Babylon.
For franchise operator and Coram native Brian Robinson and operations director Eric Benitez, the decision to expand into the region was rooted in familiarity with the area and an understanding of its customer base.

“Long Island is a very demanding market,” Robinson said, noting the region’s competitive dining scene. “The quality of the food here is very, very high.”

The restaurant’s offerings center around customizable bowls featuring marinated proteins, including chicken, steak, salmon, and tofu, paired with vegetables and proprietary sauces, all prepared to order.

“Expanding into Long Island is an important milestone for Teriyaki Madness as we continue to grow our national footprint,” said Jodi Boyce, Chief Marketing Officer of Teriyaki Madness. “This market aligns well with our values, and we are confident that Yummy Restaurants' franchising and operational expertise will position this location for long-term success.”

Beyond the menu itself, Robinson said, how the food performs outside the restaurant is just as critical in today’s environment.

“With the growth of delivery and third-party apps, how the food travels is very important—and our food travels well,” he said.

Benitez, who brings decades of restaurant experience to the operation, said the concept distinguishes itself through both flavor and ingredient quality.

“We do a Seattle-style teriyaki sauce, so it’s a bit sweeter and doesn’t have that salty flavor that some people don’t like,” he said. “We use free-range chicken, and everything is just a little fresher, a little bit higher-end.”

For the ownership group, choosing to franchise rather than build a concept from scratch was designed to reduce uncertainty while still allowing for local ownership and execution.

“When you belong to a system like that, you have a proven model of what it takes to be successful,” Robinson said, pointing to the advantages of an established brand.

“Instead of coming up with our own restaurant, we found one that we thought was excellent that we could open up in the area,” Benitez added.

The North Babylon location employs approximately 25 workers and was about a year in development. Its design reflects shifting consumer behavior, particularly the rise of third-party delivery platforms and online ordering, with a smaller dining room built to accommodate increased off-premise demand while still serving dine-in customers.

“We made a smaller dining room because we expect a lot of third-party delivery, but people are still dining in,” Benitez said, describing a hybrid model that balances convenience with in-person experience.

While challenges arose during the buildout process, Robinson said the response from the surrounding community has been overwhelmingly positive, with early outreach efforts already underway.

“We’ve already done drops at hospitals, the firehouse, the police—we want to be very involved in the community,” Robinson said.

The community-first approach is paired with an expansion mindset, as the operators view Long Island not as a one-off location but as the beginning of a larger regional footprint.

Delivery services such as DoorDash and Grubhub are expected to be added shortly after opening, with catering platforms to follow as the business establishes itself in the area.

While no additional sites have been formally announced, Robinson made clear that growth is a priority.

“We’re definitely going to continue to expand here, because this is a great market,” he said.