Gyu-Kaku restaurant to open in Kapolei
Local franchisees will open their second Gyu-Kaku yakiniku restaurant in Kapolei Commons, where they already operate a Ruby Tuesday location.
"I have never been as excited to sign a lease," said partner Rick Nakashima.
Nakashima and partner Ted Davenport plan to open the 3,500-square-foot, roughly 115-seat Gyu-Kaku restaurant toward the end of the first quarter of next year, Nakashima told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. It is one of as many as 10 Gyu-Kaku restaurants the partners plan to build in the islands.
Nakashima and Davenport also operate the 132-seat Gyu-Kaku in Windward Mall, as well as Ruby Tuesday locations in Ala Moana Center and Moanalua Shopping Center.
MacNaughton Group, the Kobayashi Group and Craig Realty Group are the joint developers of Kapolei Commons, and a representative of MacNaughton Group did not respond to queries.
Separately, Peet’s Coffee & Tea is scouting locations in Kapolei, which "is a high priority area for us," said Chipper Pastron, MCC Coffee Group founder and Peet’s Coffee & Tea licensed partner.
Happiness is most expensive in Hawaii
Hawaii residents need a household income of $122,175 in order to be happy, the largest dollar amount in the nation, according to a new study by Nerdwallet.com.
Daniel Kahneman, a psychologist, and Angus Deaton, an economist, analyzed a 2009 Gallup report on Americans’ perceptions of "well being."
Their study says for the U.S. as a whole, an average household income of $75,000 is sufficient, and that any income over and above that merely goes to buying "stuff" as opposed to "the day-to-day experiences that make life pleasant or unpleasant."
A state-by-state review, however, shows wide cost-of-living-based swings in the average household income required for happiness. The Nerdwallet study, available at is.gd/HappinessCOLA, ranked Mississippi the state in which happiness is the most affordable at an annual income of $65,850.
The priciest areas on the cost-of-happiness ranking are New York at $99,150, the District of Columbia at $104,700 and Hawaii at $122,175.
Honolulu Home Loans plans West Oahu site
Honolulu Home Loans said Thursday it plans to open a West Oahu branch in Pearl City or Aiea.
Honolulu Home Loans is looking to open the branch by the end of the year based on its search for an optimal location, the company said. "Establishing a neighborhood presence will provide our customers with easier access to our mortgage professionals and our services," said Chief Production Officer Andrew Kim.
Honolulu Home Loans provides residential loans and refinancing, and services more than $1.3 billion in Hawaii-based mortgage loans, the company said.
ON THE MOVE
Ace Auto Glass has promoted Evan Tamaye to branch manager. Tamaye is the third generation to work in his family’s business of auto glass repair and replacement.
Mark S. Davis was named a 2014 distinguished law alumnus by Washington University Law School in St. Louis, his alma mater. Davis is a founding partner of Honolulu’s Davis Levin Livingston and has practiced for more than 40 years as a civil rights lawyer and a trial lawyer in civil actions.
Alexza Pharmaceuticals has announced the promotion of Edwin S. Kamemoto to senior vice president of regulatory affairs. He joined Alexza in 2006. Prior to Alexza, Kamemoto was a consultant for CATO Research.
Hawaiian Host has hired Gary Oshiro as its new sales representative. Oshiro has more than 20 years of sales and management experience, including serving as an operations manager at Hawaii Self Storage and an account manager at Coca-Cola Bottling of Honolulu.
