Rail work is forcing Flamingo to close

Flamingo Restaurant will be closing its doors at the end of this week.

The local favorite on Kamehameha Highway in Pearl City is shutting down Sunday due to slowed business, the restaurant confirmed Thursday.

Delia Idica, night manager at Flamingo, said the rail construction has contributed to the restaurant’s declining sales.

“Restaurant sales haven’t been good due to rail construction,” Idica said. “We started to notice sales going down a year ago.”

The local restaurant, famous for its oxtail soup and banana pie, has been serving Hawaii residents since it opened in 1950.

Brannon Teixeira, 27, said the Pearl City restaurant is a family favorite that he is sad to see close.

“I’ll miss their breakfast. I loved the all-you-can-eat pancakes,” Teixeira said. “We’ve been going there since I was a little kid. I haven’t been able to go recently, but the last time I went was with my family and we had a nice family dinner. It’s sad to see it go.”

Idica said she was informed Wednesday that the restaurant would be closing.

“I told people Wednesday (that at) the end of this month, we would be closing. This morning I got a message: by the end of this week,” Idica said. “It is sooner than we anticipated. That’s in a blink of an eye.”

The restaurant, serving American and local fare, employs about 20 people. There used to be more, but the falling sales forced the staff numbers to follow.

“It kind of crept up on us,” Idica said.

Idica said the restaurant had been lowering prices in hopes that the discount would make up for the traffic caused by rail construction.

“We have to try to lure customers despite the traffic because of the rail,” she said.

Jeanne Mariani-Belding, director of communications for the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation, said Flamingo Restaurant is one of the businesses that the project has been working with as construction of the rail continues.

“HART works closely with the contractor to ensure proper business access is maintained and that signage is provided so that customers know businesses remain open during construction,” Mariani-Belding said. “In addition, HART has a business outreach program that includes regular canvassing, meetings and briefings with businesses; an online offer program to encourage customers to visit these businesses during construction; and free workshops to assist businesses during construction.”

Residents can still buy some of their Flamingo favorites at Flamingo Mart, located at 1221 Piikoi St.; and Flamingo Express, at 99 Ranch Market at 1151 Mapunapuna St., will remain open.

Flamingo’s Windward City Shopping Center location closed in July 2007 after 20 years in business, and the Flamingo at 871 Kapiolani Blvd. closed in October 2008 after 49 years.