Mission Social Hall & Cafe closing
KAT WADE / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER
Mission Social Hall & Cafe, chef Mark “Gooch” Noguchi’s lunch restaurant located on the grounds of the Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives, will be closing its doors Dec. 14.
Mission Social Hall & Cafe, chef Mark “Gooch” Noguchi’s lunch restaurant located on the grounds of the Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives, will be closing its doors Dec. 14.
The departure is due to an occupancy cost increase of 48 percent that was due to begin in 2017, said Amanda Corby Noguchi, wife of the chef and cofounder of the Noguchis’ Pili Group, which runs the cafe.
“We are barely making it in the black without the increase,” she said.
Executive director Tom Woods said the museum is sorry to see them go.
“They provide a wonderful, welcoming group and wonderful food for both our visitors and our neighbors. They’ve been valuable to the site,” he said.
Woods said the museum will begin their search “very soon” for a replacement food vendor.
Mission opened in March 2015 and serves about 200 customers daily. Its menu includes a couple of hot-entree and sandwich selections daily, plus a rotation of at least four seasonal antipasti. The menu centers on locally grown and raised products, a hallmark of Pili’s cuisine.
There are no immediate plans to relocate the cafe.
8 responses to “Mission Social Hall & Cafe closing”
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“The departure is due to an occupancy rate increase of 48 percent that was due to begin in 2017, said Amanda Corby Noguchi, wife of the chef and cofounder of the Noguchis’ Pili Group, which runs the cafe.” When you say “occupancy rate” I think of the number of seats. Do you mean the rent? Also, “It’s menu includes a couple of hot-entree and sandwich selections daily” is supposed to be “its”, not “it’s”. We have enough apostrophe abuse in Hawaii without our paper of record going down that rabbit hole also, LOL.
how about headline abuse? What is this even in the paper let along on the home page of the website!
K “Teach”.
Actually, the period should go inside the closed quotation there, “student.” Proper grammar – it can happen.
A 48% increase in rent after only 1 year in business at the location seems unjustified. What restaurant operator will want to invest in building a business at this location with this type of landlord?
So…we are sorry to see them go, but we found someone else willing to pay 48% more? Or…the agreement was that the first year would be below market rent, and then increased thereafter? Don’t get it when a landlord says “sorry…”
Well, the article says that they “will begin their search very soon for a replacement food vendor.” If that’s an honest statement, they haven’t found anyone yet. The question is, was this rent increase built into the original lease or something they just sprang on the restaurant owner. In either case, if they were providing a good value-add to the venue, you would think that the Mission House Museum people would work with them to get them to stay. Seem to me that they are trading the revenue they are getting for no revenue at all and giving the public one less reason to visit the museum.
Sorry to see them go out of my neighborhood. I think more advertising could have been done. Fliers in surrounding condos for a start. Good luck Noguchis.