Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Waikiki is soon to expand its footprint and refresh its Hawaii-themed look.
The Waikiki restaurant’s performance makes it the highest-grossing Ruth’s Chris Steak House franchise in the world, according to owner Randy Schoch. And it’s about to add 700 square feet of space.
Ruth’s Chris Waikiki will be taking over the adjacent space of Under the Koa Tree. It’s not that the art gallery-type gift shop featuring made-in-Hawaii products and gifts is closing, said Conchita Malaqui, general manager of Waikiki Beach Walk.
"They’re moving to a nearby location, closer to Cheeseburger," she said, as the shop is a valued tenant that offers handmade items from artisans on the neighbor islands and Oahu’s North Shore.
For the restaurant, the new space will add a private dining room with capacity for up to 42 guests that also can serve as overflow seating for busy nights, such as Valentine’s Day, Schoch said.
It will be called the Leahi Room because "it’s in the shadow of Diamond Head," he said.
"We spent about $1.3 million gutting and redoing Honolulu," Schoch said of his flagship restaurant at Waterfront Plaza.
Now about 7 years old, its Waikiki sister restaurant is going to be "completely" redone, Schoch said.
Fabrics, carpets and lighting will be updated, and "we’ll retrofit our kitchen to accommodate the extra seating capacity," he said.
Interior designer Kathy Merrill Kelley designed the Hawaiian-themed look of the Waikiki Ruth’s, and she is back on board for its refreshing.
The restaurant will remain open for dinner service throughout the renovation process, and Eric Hill, former assistant manager of the Honolulu Ruth’s Chris, has been promoted to general manager of the Waikiki restaurant, Schoch said.
Schoch is the Hawaii franchisee of Ruth’s Chris Steak Houses, with five locations on three islands, and also is a franchisee operating Hawaii’s two Romano’s Macaroni Grill restaurants.
A restaurant concept of his own creation, Ling & Louie’s Asian Bar and Grill, was inspired by the food inspiration he got while living and owning restaurants in the islands. There are several mainland Ling & Louie’s locations, but Schoch never intended to bring the concept to Hawaii where authentic Asian cuisine of all stripes is readily available. Now he thinks it might work.
"It’s modern Asian meets American comfort," he said.
Ling & Louie’s meatloaf is served with Asian gravy, wasabi mashed potatoes and Szechuan green beans. Its Mongolian flatbread comes with sliced beef, roasted red peppers, red onions, cheddar-jack cheese and spicy aioli.
Kamaaina might get a smile out of the name of another menu item, the Black Orchid Ahi, a dish of blackened ahi named for one of Schoch’s storied Honolulu restaurants, which also was at Waterfront Plaza back when it was branded as Restaurant Row.
To Ling, Louie and Schoch’s credit, the Ling & Louie’s menu does not refer to the ahi as "ahi tuna," as so many restaurants redundantly do. Annoying, right?
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Reach Erika Engle at 529-4303, erika@staradvertiser.com or on Twitter as @erikaengle.
