Hawaii's four Sizzler restaurants have been re-branded to settle a dispute between the local operator of the eateries and franchisor Sizzler USA. (Courtesy Sizzler Hawaii)
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Hawaii’s four Sizzler restaurants have been re-branded to settle a dispute between the local operator of the eateries and franchisor Sizzler USA.
Operator GoKo Restaurant Enterprises LLC has renamed the restaurants GoKo Steak & Salad Bar Restaurant, the company announced Thursday.
GoKo also said it revamped menus to emphasize local tastes and more local products.
Holders of $37,000 in unredeemed Sizzler gift cards sold by GoKo will be entitled to refunds for five years.
GoKo had tried to preserve its Sizzler franchise by filing for bankruptcy in April after being unable to meet financial obligations.
The bankruptcy case is still proceeding.
GoKo was formed in 2003 by one-time Sizzler manager Clinton Goo and real estate developer Bert A. Kobayashi, who partnered to buy the four restaurants from the local Sallee family who established the chain in Hawaii in 1964, six years after the first Sizzler was founded in California.
The four GoKo restaurants, which employ 120 employees, are all on Oahu — in Kailua at Aikahi Park Shopping Center, in Aiea at Pearlridge Center, in Kapalama at Dillingham Plaza and in Waipahu at Waipahu Town Center.
