Reserve Now for 4th Annual Hall of Fame Induction & Dine-Around
HRA 2010 Hall of Fame Induction & Chefs of Aloha Dine-Around
Monday, September 27, 2010 ~ 6:00-9:00 pm
Hawaii Prince Hotel ~ Waikiki
Reserve your place – or better yet, your table! Join us as we celebrate the restaurant industry and honor the leaders who will be inducted into the 2010 HRA Hall of Fame. Enjoy feasting at the Dine-Around, featuring the culinary creations of this year’s Chefs of Aloha:
Jesse Kila (The Ranch House), Keith Kong (Duke’s Waikiki), Donald Lakey (Outback Steakhouse), Scott McGill, CEC (Hula Grill Kaanapali), John Memering (Kalapawai Cafe), James Rosenberry (Hula Grill Waikiki), and Khamtan Tanhchaleun (Hawaii Prince Hotel Waikiki).
For more information, call HRA at 944.9105 or email at hra@RestaurantHI.com.
Lt. Governor Aiona to Speak at SBH Sunrise
Smart Business Hawaii’s (SBH) monthly Sunrise Networking Breakfast continues,Thursday, July 29, in the Pineapple Room, Macy’s, Ala Moana (top deck), 7 – 8:30 am.
July’s speaker is former Judge, Lt. Governor and Republican candidate for Governor, James “Duke” Aiona, who recently completed visits to more than 125 small businesses during a 100-day period. He will discuss, “Small Business Issues in Hawaii Today and How to Solve Them.”
SBH will also update you on the legislature’s final bills and possible vetoes. Members at SBH Sunrise enjoy a complete buffet breakfast, free exhibit area, networking, and business introductions to boost their business.
The public is welcome and parking at Ala Moana Center is free.
Cost is $25 for members and their guests who pay in advance; $35 for non-members and at the door.
Call Darlyn at SBH today at 396-1724 to reserve or visit our new and improved website: www.smartbusinesshawaii.com to register.
Please download attached reservations form and mail with your payment.
HRA Partnering with Chamber: Debates 2010: Mayoral Debate
The Voice of Business in Hawaii
Presents
DEBATES 2010: Mayoral Debate
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
The Plaza Club
900 Fort Street Mall
5:30 pm – 8:30 pm
(Registration at 5:00 pm)
HRA is partnering with CCH for a lively discussion of the
2010 Mayoral Special Election.
Attendees will have the opportunity to meet the leading candidates
and hear them debate issues impacting the business community in Hawaii.
MODERATOR:
Bruce Coppa, President, Coppa Consulting
CANDIDATES:
Kirk Caldwell, Peter Carlisle, Donovan Dela Cruz, Panos Prevedouros
Q & A!
A Full Hour of Networking!
COST: $30 per person
(Heavy Pupus, Free Parking, NO Host Bar)
Deadline to Register is August 2, 2010!
SAVE THESE DATES!
September 8, 2010 – Gubernatorial Debate
October 13, 2010 – Congressional Debate
Increased Value of Online Restaurant Guides
Why should you list your restaurant in online restaurant guides (ORGs)? What should restaurant owners do to capture as much of this business as they can? Read these guidelines from RunningRestaurants.com . . .
Top 40 Hiring Questions for Restaurants
By Robin Van Tan (QSR Magazine)
Between tracking food costs, trying to bring in more cash-strapped customers, and abiding by the new health care requirements, proper hiring practices can fall by the wayside on the list of day-to-day tasks operators face. But one wrong hire can have devastating consequences. Best-case scenario: They quit in a week, wasting your time and money. Worst-case scenario: They mistreat a customer and damage your brand’s reputation.
To prevent that from happening, QSR asked a team of five experts your top 40 hiring questions. All of the answers are direct, honest, and (perhaps most importantly) short. So even the busiest of operators can put them into practice and start reaping the benefits.
Should Australia put kangaroo on the menu?
To save the planet, a study suggests that Australian consumers should stop eating beef and start chowing down on kangaroo steaks. The marsupials produce far fewer methane emissions than do cattle, researchers say, so kangaroo farming would produce far fewer greenhouse gases. The New Republic/The Vine blog (free registration)
Macaroni Grill announces new executive leadership
Romano’s Macaroni Grill named Norman Abdallah chief executive officer and Carey Carrington chief financial officer, to replace departing executives Brad Blum and Bob Mack. Blum and Mack are leaving the casual chain 18 months after former parent Brinker International sold Macaroni Grill to Golden Gate Capital for $131.5 million. American City Business Journals/Dallas
Ruth’s Chris Waikiki
By Jo McGarry (MidWeek)
Ruth’s Chris Waikiki, Waikiki Beach Walk. Honolulu 440-7910
Profile on Jon Kobashigawa
Occupation: General Manager, Ruth’s Chris Waikiki.
Where were you born and raised? Born and raised in Kaimuki. Went to Iolani and then graduated from the University of Washington.
What started your interest in the food and beverage industry? It was always a second job through college, and I kept returning to it when I needed to.
First job in the industry? At Sam Choy’s Diamond Head. I was one of the first bussers when the restaurant opened. Eventually a management position opened up after I’d worked my way through the ranks.
What do you like about F&B? Dealing with people is great. I’ve always been a foodie and I’m very interested in new foods. The whole thing of seeing people happy and enjoying a meal is great.
How about when guests are not happy – which happens at the best restaurants on occasion? Helping people enjoy their restaurant experience is about finding out what they want and then going above and beyond that.
What’s your favorite dish at Ruth’s Chris? Bone-in New York strip.
Do you cook at home? I try
What’s always in your fridge? Some kind of fish or poke.
With whom would you most like to have dinner at Ruth’s Chris? Pat Bolan, the Denver Broncos owner who has a home here – he actually comes in to the restaurant from time to time. I’ve been a Broncos fan all my life. I’d probably talk his ear off and wouldn’t want to mix business with pleasure!
Advice to anyone wanting to start in the restaurant business? Starting from the bottom is probably the best way to go. It helps to have a degree in business, but learning all the different positions really helps.
Anything about you that might surprise people? I have a degree in fisheries management and worked at Oceanic Institute with the aquaculture program. I’ve always been big on fishing. Before my son was born, and before becoming a restaurant manager, it was something I really enjoyed!
THE UN-COMFORT ZONE with Robert Wilson
The First Million
Until I was thirty years old, I wasn’t much of a fisherman. I’d take a rod and reel along on a camping trip, but I never expected to catch much of anything. In my mind, fishing was a relaxing past time you enjoyed with friends and beer. Then my buddy Brian asked me to go fishing. I took him to a lake I knew that was hidden in the woods; and he taught me how to fish for bass. He showed me how to cast my lure along the edge of the lake; how to give the line a couple of tugs to “jig” the lure and attract the fish; then to reel it back in quickly.
State of the Plate
Capital expenses rise despite index drop
The outlook for the restaurant industry softened in May, as the National Restaurant Association’s comprehensive index of restaurant activity fell below 100 for the first time in three months. The Association’s Restaurant Performance Index stood at 99.7, down 0.7 percent from 100.4 in April. The drop came after strong index growth earlier this year. The RPI is a monthly composite index that tracks the health of and outlook for the U.S. restaurant industry. Despite the drop, capital expenditures rose to the highest level in nearly two years. Check out our research department’s latest video commentary
