Restaurants do a great job keeping us fed with diverse options when we’re too tired or too lazy to cook, but they’re not alone in addressing our hunger for convenient, delicious meals.
To make up business lost from those who have given up on cooking, supermarkets got into the business of offering fresh-cooked meals to go years ago.
We can see how far they’ve come with the hot-bar concept in the Kakaako/Ala Moana neighborhood, where Down to Earth, Foodland Farms and Whole Foods Market are proving to be worthy competitors for dining dollars.
Unlike restaurants, they’re not beholden to any one particular style or theme of cuisine and, open to customer input, they are quick to access and deliver what diners want.
FOODLAND FARMS
Ala Moana Center ($8.99 per pound)
With nearly 20 years of experience in the food industry, Keoni Chang, corporate executive chef for Foodland Super Market, has seen diners tastes change, and those observations are reflected in the hot bar at the company’s flagship Foodland Farms at Ala Moana Center.
To put it simply, diners today are accustomed to choice and want everything.
“They’re not shy about telling us what they want,” said Chang. “We get a lot of emails and people who walk right up to us to give us suggestions.”
Many want lighter, more plant-based food, he said, such that heavy fried or meat-driven items — which years ago comprised nearly 100 percent of the hot bar — now make up just 15 to 20 percent, replaced by dishes incorporating vegetables.
“It’s been a dramatic shift,” Chang said. “Hot bars were once very static, but now diners are more sophisticated. … So we try to have a mix of classic local-inspired and global dishes.
“We’re also dealing a lot more with dietary restrictions, so we try to create dishes for vegetarians, vegans, people on paleo, keto or 30-day challenge diets.” The most health conscious might find a vegan adobo made with tofu, vegan Indian curry or orange cashew basmati rice.
Breakfast starts at 6 a.m., with the bar reset to lunch and dinner items at 10:30 a.m. Diners can generally choose from 20 hot items, such as the popular shoyu chicken and pasteles stew, or more gourmet items, such as pork roulade with scallion pesto and shiitake stuffing.
An accompanying salad bar offers about 16 pre-made salads, as well as build-your-own choices of greens, proteins, cheese and multiple toppings.
When the store opened, Chang said, “one thing we found was that people wanted change more frequently than we expected. It continually challenges us, but in a good way.”
Some things you won’t find at the bar are lamb chops, an acquired taste for many, and fish, which tends to dry out quickly. That said, one of the bar’s most popular items is Chinese-style steamed swai, a fish that maintains its moist quality.
More recently, the hot bar has adapted to special occasions, offering Mardi Gras dishes that included jambalaya and etouffee, and a Hawaiian menu for Kamehameha Day, Chang said, “People are starting to realize they can come here for something beyond the ordinary.”
The Hawaiian menu proved so popular some items will be reintroduced, such as kale and kalua pork, and fried akule, for Aloha Friday- themed dining.
The coming weeks will bring items such as pumpkin, sweet potatoes and heavier comfort fare, before dishes lighten up again in spring.
DOWN TO EARTH
500 Keawe St. ($10.99 per pound)
The hot bar at Down to Earth in Moiliili has long been a go-to spot for vegetarians, vegans and anyone looking for plant-based food and convenience.
The Kakaako store offers more choice in the form of wok, pizza, vegetarian sushi and other food stations, but the bar of hot-and-cold items continues to be the main draw, according to deli manager Renato Cueco.
With a background in supermarket and deli service, Cueco joined the company in part because he needed to change his diet and wanted to be in an environment “that supports a healthy lifestyle.”
He was diagnosed with diabetes a year ago, he said, and after switching to a plant-based diet, symptoms including blurred vision and tingling feet have disappeared.
He now loves sharing his story with customers starting their own journeys toward better health.
A common misconception, he said, is that “people think vegan and vegetarian food is bland, but we really make it tasty, just like ‘normal’ food, just made with vegetables.”
Diners will find eight entrees that vary daily, plus about 14 salads and all the fixings to make customized salads, plus about 14 side dishes.
“For the most part, we try to keep it organic, vegan and wheat-free,” he said. Ingredients are listed in the signage to help diners make choices.
Top sellers here include green and red Thai curries that have the richness of coconut milk. Also popular are enchiladas and lasagna offered on a rotating basis, and a curry fried rice made from a recipe suggested by a customer.
Global flavors are represented in dishes such as pansit, eggplant Parmesan and spanakopita.
The hot bar opens at 6 a.m. and is 90 percent complete by 6:30 a.m., with items such as breakfast burritos and a tofu scramble. The last of the main dishes arrives at 8 a.m. It remains open through 9 p.m. and Cueco said it takes constant monitoring to make sure items remain stocked and fresh. “We’re stocking up to closing so it’s just as appetizing as when we open in the morning.”
One thing that surprised Cueco is that barbecue mock chicken strips popular at other locations haven’t worked with Kakaako customers. “They prefer roasted vegetables and curries.”
WHOLE FOODS MARKET QUEEN
388 Kamakee St. ($9.99 per pound)
Demographics tell the story of how the Kakaako branch of Whole Foods was created as the flagship of the Southern Pacific region, according to store team leader Annalee English.
The Kakaako location — the largest of about 60 stores in Hawaii, Arizona, Nevada and Southern California — caters to a growing number of singles and elderly who see no point in cooking for one or two, workaholics too busy to cook, and families who may want to augment an entree with varied side dishes.
With a mix of area residents and commuters, English said, “We have a lot of customers who arrive hungry and are ready to eat something right away, before buying something to cook at home.”
Whole Foods is easily the largest of the hot-bar competitors, offering about 50 hot items daily, plus two salad bars.
A range of cuisines is represented, from Cantonese to Italian to Latin-American fare.
Because of the variety, English said, “A lot of people visit us once a day, some visit twice a day.”
Although not vegetarian or vegan, Whole Foods does focus on sustainability, organic farming methods and ethical ranching that adheres to strict animal welfare standards. Diners can expect food with no added hormones, artificial ingredients, added color or preservatives.
One of the most popular items is smoked beef brisket, with 300 pounds sold a day. At lunchtime, trayfuls disappear “as soon as we put it out,” English said. “The smoked pork belly is also popular.”
To keep production going, the kitchen operates 24 hours a day. “We go through a lot of food in a day. We’re always replenishing and there’s a lot of prep involved.”
The day starts with breakfast at 7 a.m., with options such as breakfast pizzas, huevos rancheros, bacon, fried rice, biscuits and gravy, and pastries. Lunch fare is introduced starting at 10:30 a.m.
By Nov. 12, Thanksgiving and holiday fare will be added, such as mashed citrus sweet potatoes, honey-roasted Brussels sprouts, traditional and cornbread stuffing, green beans with crispy garlic, and more.
“We try to offer a good mix so that people can mix-and-match what appeals to them,” English said. “We see a lot of people picking a little bit of this and that from the salad bar, then putting some chicken on top.”
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