Aina Haina’s Ranch House remains in readers’ hearts

Last month I wrote about Aina Haina and the Ranch House. Several of my readers had stories of their own to tell me.

Liane K.L. Lum said that as a little girl growing up in Aina Haina, "one of my absolute favorite places was M’s Ranch House. Every birthday, anniversary, special occasion, or any day, my family headed down the street to that restaurant with a covered wagon next to it. It was a place where parents could take their families for a complete dining experience at reasonable prices.

"The brown Formica tables were filled with all-you-can-eat breadsticks, a precut whole ripe pineapple with its crown still on it, miniature loaves of hot bread on a cutting board. There was also sweet guava jelly (my favorite!), marshmallow cream and real butter squares served each in metal dishes.

"Next to the waiting area was the infamous pirate’s treasure chest! It was filled with all kinds of trinkets, from toy army soldiers and puzzles to yo-yos and jacks.  Kids under 12 could pick a FREE toy from the treasure chest after dinner.

"M’s Ranch House will always hold a special place in my heart," Lum says. "It was not only a landmark for giving directions, but a place where you would have a great meal, friendly service and a fun dining experience. Most importantly, the Ranch House was a place to create fond memories for family and friends."

Larry Lyons remembers there used to be a "special menu" with sky-high prices, to surprise your guests.

"My wife’s parents were visiting and they offered to take us to dinner anywhere we wanted and naturally I selected the Ranch House. When we got there I winked at the waitress and asked for the ‘special menu.’ What they did with this menu was move the decimal point one place to the right so a steak dinner that was normally $5.95 was now $59.50 and in those days that could give you a heart attack."

Jim Varner said: "My mom and dad were good friends of the Emersons, and my wife, Nancy, and I went to the Ranch House the very first night Ken and Dibby opened for business.

"One of the items I loved about the place was the breadsticks with cheese sauce and the pineapple spears (still in the pineapple) with the marshmallow sauce that was on the table when you came in.

"The other memory we have is the very old Bing Crosby ‘Happy Birthday’ song they played whenever there was a birthday celebration in the house. There was also a sparkler on the cake (or maybe it was cupcake). We do miss this place!"

Auntie Ululani James recalled, "During the later years, the place would be packed on the weekend with all the fans that traveled to East Honolulu to listen to the Makaha Sons of Niihau. It would just light up the whole area."

Bob Nishita asked whether I remembered the floodwaters in Kuliouou and Niu Valley in the 1980s.

"My wife and I went to a New Year’s Eve gathering in Waipahu, and as we were coming back, police stopped us at Aina Haina, saying that mud and debris blocked Kalanianaole Highway at Niu Valley. So lots of us spent the night at Aina Haina Shopping Center in our cars.

"Early the next morning, we went to M’s Ranch House for breakfast and waited for news. After noon, we were told the Pali Highway was open and it was OK to go the long way, to Kailua, then Waimanalo, then home to Hawaii Kai. What a day it was!"

Ryon Rickard says he recalls that the Aina Haina Foodland was up and running in 1950. "I have a photo from ‘Architectural Record’ of November 1950 that shows the store all by itself, before it expanded into the parking lot."

Several of my readers recalled seeing chimpanzees at the Ranch House. Former Aina Haina Shopping Center manager Jim Napier says that Christopher Holmes owned two chimps, named Butch and Maryann. They lived three doors down from the Ranch House.

"One day Butch got loose and ended up in our house, in my father’s chair smoking his pipe!"

The chimps were donated to the zoo at the Waialae Dairy. Kahala residents often found Butch peering in their windows when he managed to escape. He and Maryann were later given to the Honolulu Zoo.

Bob Sigall, author of the "Companies We Keep" books, looks through his collection of old photos to tell stories each Friday of Hawaii people, places and companies. Email him at Sigall@yahoo.com.