Kimono, a new Japanese teppanyaki restaurant, has moved into the building formerly occupied by Pappas Restaurant, the eatery that failed about a year after being featured in the third season of the television show “Restaurant Impossible.”

The new restaurant opens Friday, the culmination of an extensive renovation, owner John Meric said.

Meric owns the building occupied by Lucca Bar and Grill, 439 First St. He now owns the building and the restaurant business of the new venture, at 1652 East Second St., next to the ramp for Interstate 780.

The restaurant will be run by Omer Sidike, general manager, and executive chef Hiroshi Sekita will oversee food operations, Meric said. The two have a combined 35 years’ experience in the restaurant industry.

One of the few things Kimono has in common with its predecessor is being a family operation. Meric lives in Napa, but his brother, Raffi, and his father, Duran, both live in Benicia; John Meric suggested “Kimono” as their new venture’s name, and the others quickly concurred.

After buying the former Pappas, Meric hired Benicia architect Mark Thieme to strip the building down to the frame.

The building had experienced some renovation in January 2012, when the staff and stars of the Food Channel’s “Restaurant Impossible” stepped in to change its decor, menu and chef in an attempt to prevent its possible closure.

In the reality series, Robert Irvine, the show’s star, analyzes a target’s business practices and weak points, staff skills and kitchen operations. Then he launches a two-day overhaul with a budget of $10,000.

The show’s staff make changes they believe will save the eatery, and the makeover concludes with an evening reopening dinner — the first time the owner gets to see what has been done to his restaurant, and diners get to sample the new entrees.

“Restaurant Impossible” crews brightened Pappas with blue-and-white decor that reflected owner Mike Anestasios’s Greek heritage, and added more Mediterranean dishes to the menu.

They ripped out old, dark carpeting and installed new flooring. The front received new landscaping. Patrons said they liked the new, fresh, up-to-date look as well as the traditional Greek menu.

But as the months went on, Anestasios said his regular customers missed their standard American favorites. A year later, he announced his retirement and the closure of his restaurant after a 23-year run.

At the website for the Food Network, Anestasios also blamed the recession and competition from other restaurants, and said while his sons, Nicolas and Andreas, had returned as chefs to the kitchen, the restaurant couldn’t sustain the excitement generated by the show even though Anestasios had another special event during which diners could watch a broadcast of the Pappas episode.

The show’s website also said Pappas reviews were average to bad, adding, “They went back to their old ways.” The building has been vacant since 2013.

When asked if he had seen the Pappas “Restaurant Impossible” segment, Meric said, “Unfortunately, I did.”

Meric said he knew he would be making plenty of changes, and chose Thieme because of his background in food services architecture and Japanese styles.

Thieme stripped the insides to bare bones before installing new decor. Outside, he changed its face to Japanese lines.

“It was a big challenge,” Meric said of the complete renovation of the building. “On a scale of 1 to 10, it was an 8. We had to gut everything … we had to change everything, from refrigerators to freezers.”

Thieme designed the new interior, Meric said, using colors reminiscent of delicate green teas, with cherry and mahogany woods and amber lights. Coordinating all the carpenters and others involved in the renovation was a massive effort, Meric said.

He said he originally wanted to open Kimono on First Street, but decided instead to buy the empty building that offers more restaurant space as well as more parking.

He decided on a teppanyaki-style restaurant because food preparation also becomes a show that entertains both children and adults.

Unlike tables at conventional restaurants, teppanyaki tables have large, flat, heated surface grills. Chefs, often with dramatic flare, prepare the dishes in view of diners.

The new restaurant will have nine teppanyaki tables, seating eight patrons each. In addition, Kimono will have a sushi bar and a full beverage bar.

“It’s an entertainment show and experience,” Meric said. “Everyone enjoys it.”

Another entertaining feature is a 12-foot saltwater fish tank. Early restaurant patrons can see it develop, he said, since marine aquariums take time to get their chemistry established to accommodate new fish.

Kimono will have multiple specialty dishes, in particular lobster, shrimp, chicken, steak and scallops, Meric said. “It will all be fresh — nothing frozen,” he said. “I’m really particular about that.”

He said some dishes will accommodate vegetarians, too, and those selections are likely to increase in the future.

The restaurant’s grand opening is Friday, including a 3 p.m. ribbon cutting involving city officials and Benicia Chamber of Commerce. Those attending will be able to meet the executive chef, Sekita, as well as sample sake.

Kimono’s hours will be 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and noon to 9 p.m. Sundays.