Closed,
gone fishing
The owner of Honolulu
By Peter Wagner
Restaurant Supply is putting a lid
on his career after 60 years
in the business
Star-Bulletin"I've seen a lot of others in the business come and go," said John Lind, longtime president and owner of Honolulu Restaurant Supply Co., Inc.
But after 60 years of pots and pans, the Kakaako businessman is putting a lid on a long career.
"It'll be nice to sleep past 5 o'clock in the morning," said Lind, who plans to retire at the end of the year.
Lind is selling the company, on Ahui Street in Kakaako, to current vice president Sherwood Crowell. Honolulu Restaurant Supply -- which carries everything you'd need to set up a commercial kitchen -- has four employees and about $1 million in annual sales.
Lind started the company in 1959 after 25 years with Dohrmann Hotel Supply Co., working his way up from stock clerk to branch manager. Frugal and forthright, he steered his business through many changes in Hawaii's economy with a firm hand.
"I don't take much out of the business," said Lind, who drives an old station wagon and pays some of his workers more than he does himself. "But I enjoy myself."
His spare office, surrounded by big food mixers, soup ladles, glassware, and stainless steel sinks, reflects his simple creed.
"When things get tough, we go out and work a little harder," he said.
It's not Hawaii's weak economy that's prodding Lind on. Honolulu Restaurant Supply recently completed a major kitchen installation in Neiman Marcus at Ala Moana Center and the company has weathered Hawaii's economic woes.
But Lind, a solid 6-footer who could pass for a much younger man, wants to spend more time on his 30-foot fishing boat, "Nadu-K-2."
"I got Duke's boat," he said with a smile, pulling out a photograph of the motor boat that belonged to Duke Kahanamoku, an early idol.
Arriving from Long Beach, Calif., in 1939 with two surfboards tied to his Dodge "Club Coupe," Lind himself was an avid waterman anxious to hit the waves in Waikiki.
Noting a lack of organized activity, he lost little time in setting up the Hawaii Surfing Association, precursor to the Waikiki Surf Club, which he founded after World War II.
Later credited with reviving water sports in Hawaii, Lind went on establish the Hawaiian Canoe Racing and Surfing Association and organized the first International Surfing Competition at Makaha in 1952. He created the International Surfing Association in 1959, organized body surfing contests, paddling contests and hosts of other activities over the years.
Sitting in his office last week, flanked by wooden canoe paddles, Lind mused over his many involvements.
"When I was in high school, they encouraged us to get involved in activities," Lind said.
