Tiki’s seeks Girl Scouts for ‘Cookie Tank’ pitches

Tiki’s Grill & Bar executive chef Ronnie Nasuti and director of operations Michael Miller are following the lead of a popular ABC television series to help stock up on Girl Scout cookies this year.

From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, individual Girl Scouts are invited to show up at Tiki’s in uniform and present a sales pitch during “Cookie Tank.”

It’s the Waikiki restaurant’s version of “Shark Tank,” the TV series that features entrepreneurs trying to raise money from angel investors.

“Door-to-door business and family sales are probably one of the most common forms of cookie sales, but this direct business-to-business is another element that can be explored,” said Miller. “We figured this was a fun, fair way to get sales from a lot of different scouts and troops.”

Last year Tiki’s bought thousands of dollars worth of Thin Mint cookies to produce their Girl Scout Cookie Cheesecake, which combined Kona coffee cheesecake with a Thin Mint crust. The restaurant sold more than 1350 orders between March and December and plans another featured menu item this year.

Tiki’s asks that Girl Scouts limit their pitch to between 30 seconds and 2 minutes; the restaurant will purchase between 2 and 10 boxes of cookies from all those who participate, based on the strength of each pitch.

Three hours of free valet parking is available at the Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel. Call 923-8454 or visit Facebook for more information.