The city rolled out 1,100 feet of green Astroturf on Kalakaua Avenue yesterday morning to welcome locals back to Waikiki with its first Brunch on the Beach. Inaugural beach brunch
draws eager eatersBy Leila Fujimori
lfujimori@starbulletin.com"I can't ever recall eating on the street," said Makiki resident Velma Lau, 70. "I think it's a great idea, truly unique."
City Cabinet member volunteers and paid city workers set up 150 tables and umbrellas and 700 to 800 chairs on the artificial lawn. City spokeswoman Carol Costa estimated 5,000 people showed up, including lots of local residents.
The event featured food from eight Waikiki hotels and restaurants, and music and dance provided by local entertainers.
It was scheduled to run from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., but some eager brunchers forced food booths to open a half-hour early.
Kalakaua Avenue was closed to traffic from Kaiulani Street to Liliuokalani Avenue, causing traffic to back up in some areas.
Many who attended did not seem to mind the extra traffic and were able to find parking. Some took advantage of the trolleys that ran from the zoo and Waikiki Shell parking lots.
Costa said setup costs for the brunch would run between $5,000 and $10,000, which comes out of funds from the Office of Economic Development. Most of the items used for the brunch will be reused for the monthly event.
The Waikiki Improvement Association worked with the restaurants and hotels to provide food for the event at a reasonable cost, Costa said.
For $40, Cissy Driver of Waimanalo and her family of six dined on pork ribs and macaroni salad from Duke's Waikiki and omelets made to order by Sheraton Hotels in Waikiki. They sat along the walkway on beach mats purchased from the city at $1 apiece.
"I hope it doesn't cost the city too much if they're going to do this every month," she said. "It's a nice getaway. Otherwise, we locals would not be in Waikiki."
Driver's mother, Angela Nukuhiwa, 73, enjoyed the old-time Hawaiian music and reminisced about old Waikiki, where she swam at the Natatorium.
"I had so much fun here when I was younger," she said.
The Waimanalo family plans to return for brunch next month.
Tourists like Mario and Virginia Delgado of Fremont, Calif., enjoyed their omelets while sitting at an ocean-view table.
"We're going to suggest it back home," Mario said.
Not everyone gave glowing reviews.
Laura Nakagawa, 78, of Aiea, complained about long food lines and having to stand and eat because of the shortage of tables.
"It's a good idea but it's not working," she said.
Mayor Jeremy Harris said the brunch was part of the city's push to "recapture the Hawaiian sense of place," which sprang from the ideas of Hawaiian scholar George Kanahele, who died two months ago. Kanahele suggested in 1994 to restore Hawaiianness to Waikiki.
"The important thing is to bring back the local people of Hawaii, who felt disenfranchised," he said. "We want them to come back and realize Waikiki is for them."
The city has spent millions on revitalizing Waikiki by restoring the Natatorium, rebuilding Kapiolani Bandstand and installing antique light fixtures along Kalakaua Avenue, as well as holding free concerts and nightly torch-lighting ceremonies. The next Brunch on the Beach is scheduled for Aug. 12.