Say so long to ‘Heidi’
The deli-and-catering business will continue under new ownership with little interruption
Heidi's Downtown Bistro in Pacific Guardian Tower will close for good after service on Thursday.
It has been there more than 20 years, but owner Ilse "Micki" Mortensen was not able to find a suitable buyer for the sit-down restaurant, she said.
Heidi's well-known food is not going away, however.
"Heidi's will go on with the same food, the same catering orders ... all my recipes," said Mortensen.
She has sold Heidi's Deli at Pioneer Plaza and Heidi's Catering to Pretzelmaker franchisee Young Cho, who has been in business three years.
Young was the best of the candidates who wanted to buy the business, Mortensen said.
"When we close Thursday, Young is taking all the equipment ... she wants no interruptions" in the deli-and-catering business, Mortensen said. The deli has been there 28 years and the catering business Mortensen built 14 years ago is the company's "gold," she said.
It is yet undetermined if Cho can absorb all 10 employees, but several will be needed to keep Heidi's operations running and delivering.
Mortensen would answer to Heidi just to keep things simple, but the business, Heidi's Bread Basket Inc. and its eateries over the years, have been named after her eldest daughter.
The business was established as a wholesale bakery by Mortensen and her late husband Axel in 1972 and morphed into the first restaurant in Honolulu where sandwiches were made to order as customers watched and specified what they wanted.