Sam Choy launches Aloha Tower restaurant

Hawaii Pacific University students have been dining at Pier Nine by Sam Choy since August — now the restaurant on HPU’s Aloha Tower Marketplace campus is open to the rest of the world.

A grand opening was held last week for the 142-seat cafeteria-style restaurant, in the former Don Ho’s Island Grill location on the waterfront.

Pier Nine is a partnership of HPU and Choy, run by the food-service provider Aramark. It offers made-to-order sandwiches and grilled items, plus pizza and a salad bar. Choy consults on the menu and designs three specialties daily, including a selection of pokes.

Students can eat at Pier Nine on their meal plans; for the public it’s an all-you-can-eat buffet for $10 at breakfast, $15 at lunch and $18 at dinner.

Choy said he was surprised by HPU’s restaurant proposal.

“I’m kind of on the backside of my career,” he said. “I’m just having fun.”

But he was impressed by the site and the concept.

“The chemistry was just amazing. Anytime you can make kids happy, you got the battle won.”

Besides, for all of his talk of coasting to retirement, Choy, 66, is juggling a number of projects. He was in San Bruno, Calif., earlier this month for the opening of a Poke to the Max restaurant, a franchise that extends Choy’s Seattle-based group to California.

He said two more franchises are planned, for Auckland, New Zealand, and Sydney, Australia. Choy and his partner, Max Heigh, will also open two more outlets in Seattle.

Choy continues to develop meals for American Airlines — 150 of his meals are in the latest rotation, he said, and he recently completed a three-month tour of American’s kitchens across the country.

In addition, Choy’s KHON television show, “Sam Choy’s in the Kitchen,” is wrapping up its third season, and he has signed on for two more.

Pier Nine by Sam Choy is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner weekdays; brunch and dinner on weekends. Late-night dining until midnight Mondays to Thursdays. Call or 317-460-4180 or visit pierninebysamchoy.com.