Big Burrito shuts down,
laying off 50 workers

By Russ Lynch
Star-Bulletin

The Big Burrito Wrap Co., which opened its Mexican-style fast-food business in early 1996, has closed the doors of its last four restaurants, laying off about 50 workers.

Managing partner Janis Akuna said the business has been losing money for months and her efforts to find a buyer were unsuccessful.

The first failure was an outlet in Waikiki near the Honolulu Zoo which shut down in December 1996. More recently, about a month ago, an outlet in Pearlridge Center also was closed.

The Waikiki location was wrong, Akuna said, and the Pearlridge unit was not in the food court, where it might have had a better chance.

The closings exacerbated the company's financial problems and the poor economy made things worse, she said.

"Sales were down. Our business is definitely correlated with the economy," she said.

The remaining four outlets -- in Mapunapuna, Kailua and at the Daiei store on Kaheka Street -- did not open Monday.

Akuna said she likely will liquidate the business through Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

Several potential investors or buyers in the restaurant business showed interest, she said, "but they were all doing their own thing" and didn't want to take on something else.