Kasai Japanese Steakhouse is trading the teppan flames for tee times with the return of its fourth annual Fire & Fairways Charity Golf Tournament, bringing food, golf and a little Scottsdale swagger together for a good cause.
The tournament tees off Monday, Sept. 21, at Westin Kierland Golf Club in Scottsdale, with proceeds benefiting Alice Cooper’s Solid Rock Teen Centers, the Arizona nonprofit that provides free music, arts and vocational training programs for teens.
Registration includes golf, a Kasai lunch buffet, complimentary beverages, raffles and prizes, giving players plenty to do beyond arguing over that last putt.
This year’s event also arrives with a new name at the top of the sponsor list. Scottsdale-based Executive Decisions Group Inc., which recently acquired Kasai as its first boutique hospitality brand, has stepped in as title sponsor and kicked off the partnership with a $5,000 donation to Solid Rock.
The move keeps one of Kasai’s longtime community relationships intact as the Scottsdale-born restaurant brand prepares for national expansion.
“Kasai earned its reputation because of the relationships the founding family built with guests and with the community,” says Robert Stidham at EDGI. “When we chose to invest in Kasai, we weren’t looking to change what made it successful. We wanted to protect that legacy while creating opportunities to introduce the Kasai experience to new communities across the country.”
Kasai launched Fire & Fairways several years ago in support of Solid Rock, and the new ownership group says keeping that connection alive is part of the plan as the brand grows. That community-first mentality fits a restaurant that has spent more than two decades building a following around its lively teppanyaki experience, sushi and what it calls “dinnertainment,” a mix of dinner and tableside chef theatrics.
The Sept. 21 tournament is expected to bring together business leaders, restaurant fans and community members from around Arizona, all while raising money for local teens.
And while Kasai may be looking beyond Arizona for its next chapter, Stidham says its Scottsdale roots are staying firmly planted.
“Arizona is where Kasai’s story began,” Stidham says. “As we look toward national growth, we want every new location to reflect the same hospitality, family values and commitment to giving back that guests have experienced here for more than 25 years.”
So yes, Kasai is thinking bigger. But first, there’s a fairway to conquer and a local cause to support.
Insider Takeaways
- Kasai’s fourth annual Fire & Fairways Charity Golf Tournament takes place Sept. 21 at Westin Kierland Golf Club in Scottsdale.
- Proceeds benefit Alice Cooper’s Solid Rock Teen Centers and its free music, arts and vocational programs for Arizona teens.
- Registration includes golf, a Kasai lunch buffet, complimentary beverages, raffles and prizes.
- New owner Executive Decisions Group Inc. is serving as title sponsor and opened the partnership with a $5,000 donation. The tournament continues a longstanding Kasai community partnership as the Scottsdale-born restaurant brand prepares for national expansion.
- Kasai, founded in Arizona in 2001, is known for teppanyaki, sushi and its signature “dinnertainment” experience.
To register, visit the Fire & Fairways event page. To learn more about Kasai, visit kasaiteppan.com.
