When the owners of Kobe Steakhouse decided to open a Village Pointe location in Omaha, they hired Darland to manage the construction. The 7,000-square-foot restaurant features eight Japanese teppanyaki grills, a sushi and cocktail lounge and high-end, modern finishes throughout. 

The design featured a hood venting system that ran underground each grill to an exterior wall and then out through the restaurant’s roof. This feature was unique to Kobe, explained project Darland Manager Mike Thomsen. “We had to really work with the city to get this approved, because this was such a new concept.” The ground vents eliminated the need for a center vent and provided customers a 360-degree view of the chef and the grill.