Hank’s in Kakaako closing, will reopen in nearby spot

Hank’s Haute Dogs will close its 8-year-old Kakaako location at 324 Coral St. after service on Aug. 14, to make way for redevelopment.

However, shortly after the closing, the popular hot dog stand will reopen, owner and Mobil-star-winning chef Hank Adaniya said.

Adaniya earned stars for his famed restaurant Trio in Chicago. The restaurant was a launching pad for several chefs who went on to their own fame.

Adaniya’s Mobil star medal is displayed in a case above and to the left of the cash register of the Hawaii hot dog stand he had long dreamed of opening.

Landowner Kamehameha Schools has been planning the redevelopment of Kakaako for years, and for at least the last two years Adaniya has been aware that something would change.

“Originally we weren’t going to move,” but there would be some renovation, he said. “Over the years (the plan) has changed, but you know, construction has its inherent delays.”

For “a solid year, we knew we were going to be making this move.”

The new location of the quick-service restaurant will be 25 feet from its present spot in a building that has been gutted and remodeled as part of Kamehameha Schools’ SALT project.

Hank’s still will have street frontage on Coral, he said.

The new space will be roughly 800 square feet, “the same size but a little skinnier,” he said.

Widespread redevelopment of the Kakaako area east of South Street has caused numerous longstanding businesses to relocate, including other restaurants, beauty supply businesses and others.

New tenants to move into the complex include Moku Handcrafted Hawaiian Cuisine, a restaurant by noted Hawaii chef Peter Merriman and partner Bill Terry, as well as the more casual plate lunch restaurant J’s Grill, which was known at its previous Auahi Street location as J’s Bar-B-Q.

Hank’s space formerly had housed, among other casual restaurants, Rainbow Drive-in Express and Tom’s Place.

Hank’s will continue operating during its regular hours until its scheduled closing time at 7 p.m. Aug. 14.

A reopening date for the new location nearby has not yet been determined, but Adaniya’s seven employees are not likely to be going on an extended vacation in between closing and the possible September reopening, he said.

“We hope to be able to go right into working on the new place.”

Hank’s Waikiki location closed as part of the shutdown of the International Market Place, but in the past year Hank’s Haute Dogs opened at the Sheraton Kaanapali under a licensing agreement with the resort.

“I partnered with them and it’s doing great. It’s right by their pool,” he said.

He has no further expansion plans at the moment but, he said, once the focus-consuming move is complete, “then we’ll see what’s next.”