"Hawaii Five-0" star Daniel Dae Kim and Hawaii chef and restaurateur D. K. Kodama have sold their interests in burger franchise Counter Kahala LLC, which does business as The Counter, for undisclosed terms.

The Culver City, Calif.-based burger chain bought out Kim and Kodama, leaving two other local partners, Ed Robles and Pablo Buckingham, as operators. Meanwhile, the company plans to expand in Hawaii, though no details were released.

"We will continue to grow and expand the Custom Built Burger brand locals have come to know and love," said Jeff Weinstein, founder and co-chief executive officer.

The Counter opened at Kahala Mall in February 2009.

"I believe in the interactive dining experience of The Counter and was honored to bring it to the people of Hawaii," Kodama said. "However, we received an offer that could not be refused. I wish Ed and Pablo much continued success."

Kim called his experience with the franchise "rewarding."

"I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to serve the community with a quality, family-friendly dining restaurant and I look forward to my next endeavor," he said, thanking customers for their support. 

Bob Sigall, the author Hawaii keeps

The first two volumes of "The Companies We Keep" have a new sibling, "The Companies We Keep 3," written by Hawaii Pacific University marketing professor Bob Sigall and his students.

The first two books were local bestsellers "and I believe this one will be too," Sigall said, adding that he distributed and/or sold the first 1,000 copies in less than one week.

This third volume of the unintended series, like its predecessors, explores the histories of Hawaii businesses in a non-textbook, engaging sort of way. This third volume also is dedicated to HPU President Chatt Wright, who will retire next year.

"I feel I would not have worked there or written these books without his leadership at HPU," Sigall said. 

Hawaii hotels among the T+L 500

Travel + Leisure magazine is out with its annual list of top 500 hotels in the world, and 15 Hawaii hotels are on it.

The Hawaii selectees are led by the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, which scored 92.74 points. (The top-in-the-world Oberoi Vanyavilas in Ranthambhore, India, scored 97.26 points.) New to the list this year is the Makena Beach & Golf Resort, which netted a No. 11 ranking among the Hawaii resorts listed, with 86.67 points.

Eblen celebration

Because everybody’s schedule is "so crazy" around the holidays, the family of the late Cliff Eblen, founding program manager of ETV, the precursor to PBS Hawaii, and founding general manager of Hawaii Public Radio, has scheduled his memorial service for the new year, said his widow, Carol. Eblen died Saturday after a lengthy illness.

The celebration of his life will be at 3:30 p.m. Jan. 8 at Nuuanu Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, donations in his honor may be made to Hawaii Public Radio or to PBS Hawaii, she said.