Haleiwa-based Kua ‘Aina sandwich shop has opened its 31st location, in Taiwan, through a licensing agreement.
The local company, which was established in 1975 and gained popularity beyond Hawaii through its burgers, sandwiches, french fries and salads, opened Jan. 27 in Mitsui Outlet Park in Linkou, Taiwan.
“The outlet mall is midway between the international airport and midtown Taipei,” said Terry Thompson, Kua ‘Aina founder and president.
“People were lined up before we opened,” he said.
“We got a prime spot in the shopping center and opening day, there were 132 seats full” with the line snaking outside every day since, Thompson said. The restaurant serves between 700 and 800 meals a day, compared to the flagship in Haleiwa that serves close to 400, he said.
The newest restaurant was built by Kanpai Four Seeds Co., a joint venture between Japan-based Four Seeds Corp. and Taiwan-based Kanpai Group.
Four Seeds was the first to take the Hawaii burger concept overseas. Thompson’s contact at Four Seeds found Kua ‘Aina in Haleiwa during “the Japanese bubble,” he said, and the two hit it off. Four Seeds, which has 1,000 restaurants comprising some 40 different concepts, opened the first of Japan’s 25 Kua ‘Aina restaurants in 1998.
Kanpai Group CEO Soji Hiraide is “similar to my partner in Japan,” Thompson said, noting that the company has close to 40 restaurants in Taiwan and is “following in the same footsteps” as Four Seeds. Hiraide found Kua ‘Aina while looking for a U.S. burger concept to open in Taiwan.
Kua ‘Aina marked its 40th anniversary last year, and Thompson, 67, has no plans to open another location in the islands.
The Ward Village location closed in October due to slowing business after nearby construction led to the loss of some parking.
Closing was “a business decision,” he said. The space remains vacant.
The international expansion is going so strongly that “I see no reason for me to do another brick-and-mortar” at home, said Thompson. The expansion of the concept has generated success “beyond my wildest dreams,” he said.
The other local Kua ‘Aina, at Kapolei Commons, will see business pick up once the center gains more tenants, Thompson said. It is adjacent to the Vitamin Shoppe in the center anchored by Target.
In addition to the two local locations and 22 in the Tokyo area, there are three Kua ‘Aina restaurants in Osaka, Japan, two in London and one in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
