The expansion of Kissaten Coffee Bar to three locations has come alive at Waterfront Plaza in a long-empty space.
"We were pretty slammed on Day One, as far as coffee," said partner Justin Cruz, better known as a KHON-TV news and weather anchor.
Previous tenants in the spot have included Stone Grill, a Jamaican restaurant and, going way back to the 1990s, Tony Manzo’s, aka Trattoria Manzo.
Jon Ishimi, Neysa Taba and Sean Ishizaki, the original owners of Kissaten, are involved in this new location, along with Cruz and General Manager Micole Sakaida.
While Cruz grew up in a family business and has had different businesses himself, this is his first experience in a restaurant or cafe.
"I consider myself to be just kind of learning the business as a silent partner," he said, though he was labeling cups with customer orders and calling them out Tuesday morning, while a barista worked the espresso machine and others worked the register and provided table service of breakfast items.
Brandon Stover is the chef for the Waterfront Plaza Kissaten. How’s that surname, for a case of nominative determinism?
Stover is an alumnus of Roy’s, Cruz said.
Monte Cristo sandwiches are among the breakfast items Stover prepares. The egg-dipped, grilled, French-toasty but also savory sort of sandwich might make folks of a certain age nostalgic for the Garden Court restaurant at Liberty House, where the sandwich was popular.
"We did put a few lunch menu items on the board today," he said Tuesday, including fish and chips, buffalo wings and french fries.
Initially open Monday to Friday from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m., Kissaten will eventually stay open longer as additional lunch items and later-afternoon fare get added to the menu. It will also open on Saturday nights.
The plan is to "expand into evenings for pau hana and things of that nature," Cruz said, adding that Kissaten at Waterfront Plaza will be up to full steam by March 1.
"The menu will be expanding daily" to include soups, sandwiches and grab-and-go salads, as are offered at its Piikoi Street location in Hawaiki Tower, which is adjacent to KHON.
Therein lies the genesis of Cruz’s role in the new Kissaten location.
"Every day before a newscast, I’ll go in and get a black coffee from the Piikoi location," he said. Through the daily visits he became friends with the owners and decided he "might as well look into becoming a partner for the third location," Cruz said.
The second Kissaten is at Island Club and Spa at 1177 Queen St. inside the Koolani condominium tower, while the flagship Kissaten is at 88 Piikoi St. and open 24 hours a day.
For its opening, Kissaten at Waterfront Plaza is offering 50 percent off all house-made drinks through February, Cruz said.
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On the Net:
» www.kissatencafe.com
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Reach Erika Engle at 529-4303, erika@staradvertiser.com or on Twitter as @erikaengle.
