Fujiyama Steakhouse of Japan is opening its doors in Greenwood this Friday, marking the first new brick-and-mortar location in the family-owned restaurant's nearly 50-year history. The new spot at 1535 W. Stones Crossing Road marks the company's second location; Fujiyama began in 1977 and has had one Indianapolis location.
The project broke ground around July 2025 after site preparation and grading got underway that same year, according to Daily Journal. Owner Jason Cummings now leads the business as its second-generation owner; founders John and K.C. Boespflug started the restaurant inside an Indianapolis hotel in 1977.
John Boespflug launched the concept out of his love for K.C. and a desire to share Japanese food and culture with Hoosiers, per the Daily Journal's report. Foster recalled that the hotel might have caught fire and described the possibility as the impetus for building from the ground up.
Why Greenwood, and Why Now
Fujiyama selected the southside for its second location in part because many staff members already live south of Indianapolis, and because Greenwood and Franklin residents had been asking for a location closer to home, per the Daily Journal's account. The Greenwood restaurant sits near the highway in a fast-developing area surrounded by apartments and expanding businesses.
The Swartz Crossing master development is at the intersection of State Road 135 and Stones Crossing Road, according to a Merrill Property Group brochure, which describes commercial land there and Franciscan Health's $50 million, 100,000-square-foot medical complex as a development businesses can join. The same brochure describes the Flats at Stones Crossing as a 292-unit apartment complex.
The same Merrill Property Group brochure says more than 3,000 new residential homes were planned within five miles of the Swartz Crossing site, underscoring the corridor's growth. The growth pattern echoes other recent openings nearby — Hoodline previously reported on Hawaiian Bros opening its first metro Indianapolis restaurant at 7910 S. U.S. 31, near the Greenwood and Southport border.
Sushi, Hibachi, and a Design Built to Impress
Phantom Design designed the Greenwood restaurant using a modern and rustic Japanese design concept, the Daily Journal reported. The new location will include a sushi bar, hibachi tables, a separate dining area and private rooms, and will serve favorite dishes from the Indianapolis location while potentially introducing new specialty menu items.
The menu draws on the chain's reputation for sushi rolls and hibachi, with offerings that include steamed buns, egg rolls, edamame, crab rangoon, soup and salad, plus a Korean fried chicken steamed bun. The Magic Salmon dish features lightly flamed salmon served over rice with a secret sauce, and the bar pours specialty drinks including a Flaming Mount Fuji and mai tais. At the hibachi tables, diners can watch chefs prepare their food tableside.
Staffing Two Locations at Once
Fujiyama Steakhouse has an Indianapolis location. The company now employs about 170 people across both restaurants, with Indianapolis employees working to train new hires at the Greenwood site as staff prepare for full service later this week.
Executive chef Chad Ingram started at the Indianapolis restaurant as a dishwasher at age 15 and now heads the kitchen, having worked on the Greenwood restaurant's layout. Per Foster, the company expects the Friday grand opening to draw a large crowd, noting that Fujiyama has built up regular customers who have stuck with the business for nearly the duration of their lives. How well staff sharing between the two restaurants manages opening-week demand while keeping service consistent remains something to watch in the days ahead.
The family business has built customer loyalty over decades, long before its Greenwood expansion.
