NORTHAMPTON — Tucked on the steep hill of Crafts Avenue across from City Hall downtown, Taipei Hibachi is trying to make a new name for itself.

Inside the newly opened hibachi restaurant, a renovated open floor plan invites customers to a counter service dining room where they can see the hibachi prepared in the kitchen.

Taipei Hibachi underwent major renovations and menu changes after the owners closed their previous restaurant, Taipei and Tokyo, in May 2023. Owner Chris Chen, 41, and General Manager Krystal McDonald, 30, say that they hope the new concept will be family-friendly and affordable, hoping to entice customers to dine in, which decreased after the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We wanted it to feel family-friendly inside, like you can bring your kids here, a very calm environment. Just a good affordable place in town that is quick and easy. Good for lunch, good for dinner,” said McDonald. “We try to cook in front of you. We try to keep it quick and easy, not really to put on a show but so you still get the experience.”

Chen gained his experience working at Taipei and Tokyo for 20 years. His father opened the restaurant in 1996, and Chen came from Taiwan in 2001 to help him. In 2011, the restaurant moved to its current location from a different downtown space on Main Street. Now, Chen has taken a chance in closing Taipei and Tokyo to open the new, hibachi-focused restaurant.

Chen says he was an engineer assistant when he was in Taiwan, but he changed careers when he came to the United States to help his father run the restaurant.

“Before, in Taiwan, the only thing I know to cook is instant noodles,” said Chen, who now does some of the cooking for the restaurant.

“After I came here, I started to learn stuff from the cashier, and then delivery, and then I started to learn how to make sushi and, in the kitchen, how to cook Chinese food. So now, I have almost 20 years of cooking experience.”

Chen emphasized that Taipei Hibachi is a new concept and different menu from Taipei and Tokyo, which had a Chinese and Taiwanese menu, along with sushi. Taipei Hibachi has some Chinese appetizers and still offers sushi, but the hibachi menu is all new, and they no longer have most of the Chinese and Taiwanese menu.

McDonald worked at Taipei and Tokyo on and off for over 10 years after studying cooking at Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School. She started out working the phones, then as a waitress, and during the pandemic was learning how to work in the kitchen. At Taipei Hibachi, she will be working in the front, taking orders and serving customers.

“Since I was like 16 years old, I used to watch the cooking channel all the time. So I feel like that’s where that stemmed from,” said McDonald. “I wanted to learn how to cook. And then I liked the front of the house better than cooking, talking to people every single day and making their day. Sometimes, when you least expect it, they just need someone to smile at them.”

McDonald and Chen say that they hope that customers will be comfortable in Taipei Hibachi. They think the switch to counter service will be good for young people and also make it more affordable without the pressure of tipping waitstaff.

After and during the pandemic, Taipei and Tokyo was taking mostly takeout orders, so Chen developed the new concept of Taipei Hibachi to encourage more dine in. Taipei Hibachi opened Sept. 14, and old regulars and new customers alike have come to try it out.

“Working in the restaurant is very tiring because you have to be in long hours,” said Chen. “But when I hear customers say, ‘Oh, you make a great meal, I got to come back,’ it makes me feel really good.”