I wrote about Spencecliff restaurants several weeks ago and heard from several who worked at one of its 50 establishments.
Longtime employee
Scott Murakami said, “My father, who is now 93, is Charles Murakami. He was a longtime Spencecliff employee who first worked for the company from 1950.
“He started in their accounting office, working his way up to eventually serve as their Senior VP for finance.
“I was preparing lunch for him and my mother yesterday and I could hear them laughing and talking excitedly about something. It’s not uncommon for my parents to be laughing and chatting, but I could hear a little more excitement in their voices.
“When I brought them their lunches, my mom told me about your article. We spent a good part of their lunch time talking about your article with my dad reminiscing fondly of his wonderful experiences both in Hawaii and in Tahiti, as part of the Spencecliff ohana.
“As you can imagine, Spencecliff holds a very special place in the hearts of our entire family. From simple meals or midnight snacks at Coco’s, Kelly’s, Tops Canterbury and Senor Popo’s, to family gatherings at the Ranch House, Fisherman’s Wharf, South Seas Village and the Tahitian Lanai.
“Our special and holiday events were always celebrated at Yacht Harbor Towers. My father, brother and I even spent time visiting family friends in Tahiti, friendships that my dad forged through his work at Spencecliff’s Hotel Tahiti.
“I too remember the great food and service, but I have to be honest and say that our dining experiences were always trumped by a visit to the red treasure chest to get our toys on the way out!
“As a kid, I remember accompanying my dad to work on the weekends. His office was next to Kelly’s, near the airport. I would fiddle around with things in his office and when he was done working, we would walk over and sit at the counter at Kelly’s for lunch.
“Their saimin and BBQ beef sticks were one of my favorites. Even as an adult, it was my favorite meal before boarding a plane or returning to Hawaii. Your article really made our day! Mahalo.”
Tahitian Lanai
Lon Ibaraki said he worked part time during the summer as a 20-year-old busboy at Tahitian Lanai in the late 1960s.
“It was located on the Waikikian hotel grounds, right on the beach in Waikiki between the Hilton Hawaiian Village and the Ilikai Hotel. The Tahitian Lanai and its Papeete Bar opened in 1956 and sadly were demolished in 1997.
“The fairly new TIM (Travel Industry Management) program at UH required their students to intern at a hotel, restaurant, airlines, or any tourist industry location.
“I was lucky because I got to intern at the famous Tahitian Lanai. This was the time when tourists were flocking to Hawaii in waves and the TIM program was a popular major.
“The restaurant tried to re-create the romantic and exotic world of Tahiti. We had an inside romantic dining area, private grass huts on the outside and a poolside area with beach umbrella tables. The women were all dressed in colorful pareau print clothing. What a beautiful setting.
“There was beautiful Hawaiian music piped in, and the background noise from the Papeete Bar was customers singing Hawaiian tunes with our piano player. It was a happening place for tourists and locals every night!!!
“When I first started, I had a meeting with the manager, Moki Palacio, who looked exactly like King Kalakaua. He explained all about the job and then he gave me my ‘uniform.’ OMG I could not believe this.
“I had to wear super-white flared sailor pants with a boldy colored striped T-shirt along with a red bandana scarf and white sneakers. I guess we were the ‘Pirates of Tahiti’? Keep in mind, I had to catch the HRT bus from Palolo to Waikiki in this colorful ‘uniform.’
“There was no designated parking for employees. I did not want to change from street clothes to work clothes at work in case I arrived late. I also had to come before my shift because TL gave us a free employee meal, such as beef stew, spaghetti, or fried chicken. I was not rich, so that was a great benefit for a college kid.
“After eating, I had to light all of the candles in each table lamp. When guests came in, I asked if they wanted coffee, water or iced tea. If I wanted a good tip from the waitress, I would prepare the drink for the guest.
“Most waitresses liked that I did that. Any other request, I would run to get it for the guests. One time this guy had a bet that he could puncture a raw potato with a straw. He told me to get a raw potato and I ran to the kitchen to get the potato. He gave me $5, which was a lot of money to me.
“The lobster special was only $5, so it was a popular dish to order. Each plate had two large tails, and a lot of the time the ladies only ate one. Yippee!!! We ate lobster all night long plus our fill of our famous TL banana muffins — so ono!!! I ate five muffins every night and lots of ice water to keep hydrated!
“We worked fast and hard every night. You think with all of the food we ate, you would gain weight. Nope. I lost 10 pounds by the end of summer!
“At the end of the night, if our team broke the record for dinners served, every employee got one free bar drink. It was such a hard decision deciding on exotic drinks we’d never had before, such as a pina colada or a Blue Hawaii!
“At the end of the night, we got paid by the waitresses who were assigned to us at the beginning of our shift. Some paid me almost nothing: What? 25 cents? Others were generous — $3.
“I can still envision serving musician Arthur Lyman before his show at the Ilikai. I knew he always wanted three glasses of cold water. He told me he did not like chasing down a waitress, so whenever I saw him, I literally ran to get his three glasses of water. He was a good tipper.
“This job was the best time I ever had, with so many fond memories.
“Everyone was so happy at the TL!!! Lots of laughing and fun with the excitement of Waikiki as a backdrop. I’ll have great memories forever!”
Spencecliff Catering and Banquet Hall
Chris Takashige said, “While a student at UH, I worked at the Ala Moana Banquet Hall and Spencecliff Catering. It was located behind the Ala Moana Coffee Shop on the lower level, makai side of the shopping center near Sears. It could serve up to 500 people.
“All of the waitresses were second mothers to the part-time UH boys who set up the banquet hall, shuffled the food from the kitchen to the buffet tables, waited, bartended and handled the catering truck driving, setup, serving and cleanup duties.
“We’d work from after classes until the parties were done and even stayed on weekend nights to have a few cold ones we took out of the BYOB stash from the wedding receptions.
“I’m sure the families knew we were taking out six packs because we took their packed-up leftovers right to the curbside of Sears and loaded up their cars with smiles.
“It was like a family working there, and partially covered my rent, food, tuition and books. We were even allowed to eat the party menu food on breaks.
“I ended up booking my wedding reception there years later, and still got the 10% employee discount that Spencecliff gave for employees.”
Were you an employee or Spencecliff customer? If so, tell me about your experience.
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The Rearview Mirror Insider is Bob Sigall’s twice- weekly free email newsletter that gives readers behind- the-scenes stories that wouldn’t fit in the column and lots of interesting details. Join and be an insider at rearviewmirrorinsider.com. Contact Bob Sigall at Sigall@Yahoo.com
