Internet Cafe
goes offline

A nearby Starbucks
prompts the move

By Peter Wagner
Star-Bulletin

The Internet Cafe, a popular spot around the clock since it opened on Kapahulu Avenue in 1995, has closed.

But plans are afoot for a bigger computer-oriented cafe in Waikiki, owners say. "The real estate was worth more than the business," said Mike Feeney, part-owner of the cafe.

The site is to be occupied by an Auntie Pasto's restaurant, Feeney said. He declined to disclose terms of the deal.

The restaurant, which operates on Pensacola Street, similarly declined comment.

The 24-hour Internet Cafe, which had never closed its doors, was closed on Sunday after some fumbling to find the building's key, Feeney said.

"There was just a big party and a lot of sad people and a lot of crying," he said. "I don't think I realized what an icon it had become."

Feeney said the planned opening of a Starbucks Coffee nearby was a factor in the decision to move. "I think we could have done fine, but to think Starbucks would not have affected our business would have been arrogant," he said.

Feeney said plans are in the works to take the Internet Cafe to Waikiki in order to tap the "huge tourist market there," he said.