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TheBuzz Erika Engle |
Quick-service Chinese
restaurant chain
expanding in islandsPanda Restaurant Group is planning to open as many as 15 more Panda Express locations in Hawaii in the next five years, according to Debbie Kalfas, its newly named regional director of real estate.
The California-based company has a dozen locations in the islands.
The Hawaii expansion is part of the company's plan to open 160 new stores in 2004 with an overall goal of 10,000 Panda Express locations.
Oh wow, char siu bao.
The venerable Patti's Chinese Kitchen, by comparison, has three locations on Oahu and none on the neighbor islands.
"We are aggressively looking for new locations," Panda's Kalfas said, telling TheBuzz she will be in town next week.
"I would say based on the success of our stores in Hawaii, we are embraced by the community."
PANDA EXPRESS
Sweet and sour pork, orange flavored chicken and broccoli with beef are among some of the entrees offered by Panda Express.
Kalfas also has her eye on the tourist market as many travelers from the mainland may be familiar with one of the company's stores, now 600 strong.
It's sort of like L&L Drive-Inn expanding to the mainland with its L&L Hawaiian Barbecue concept, but bigger.
And like L&L, Panda is picky about where it goes.
"In terms of demographics, we're looking at having 45,000 people within a trading area, say within a five-minute drive time," said Kalfas.
"It should be in a high-profile shopping center or commercial area where we can have good signage and convenient parking, because the majority of what we do is quick-serve," she said. They need daytime traffic for solid lunch and dinner business.
Panda Express requires at least 2,000 square feet per location. "We like end-cap locations, but we are also expanding our drive-through locations and that's something that on the mainland we've been very successful with. That could be transferred over to the islands as well," said Kalfas. A drive-through Panda Express would need 2,400 square feet, Kalfas said.
That there aren't dozens of drive-through Chinese or other Asian food restaurants, with their always-ready food choices, has long puzzled your columnist.
"One of the issues with drive through is the food has to be portable," said Kalfas.
"We've been able to come up with items people can eat in the car." It's helpful to large families that don't want to bring the whole family in to a sit-down restaurant, she said.
The company has an in-house construction department for its stores.
"They work around the clock. These are the hardest-working people I've ever been associated with. Once we have the site approved and lease executed, it's a quick turnaround time, between 60 to 90 days on average," before a restaurant opens, said Kalfas.
A drive-through location takes longer because of permitting requirements.
Panda Restaurant Group also operates two other restaurant concepts, Panda Inn and Hibachi-San. There are no plans to bring the other concepts to the islands, Kalfas said.
Xentopia on the beach
New York-based entertainment company World Asia Inc. is planning an ambitious eight-day event on Hawaii's beaches, in its nightclubs and other venues. It hopes 40,000 people will attend the 9 a.m. to 4 a.m. daily-into-nightly-into-wee-hours party."Xentopia: Celebration of Pan-Asian Entertainment," looks to capitalize on the trendiness of all things Asian. It will start each day with yoga and then split into divergent activities including amateur sumo wrestling contests, volleyball games, a dragon boat competition, fashion shows, comedy, concerts, anime screenings, a dating game called "Yin & Yang Hookups," a foam party and a $100,000 chess contest. Yes, a chess contest.
International celebrities of Asian descent such as kamaaina Hollywood star Cary Tagawa have confirmed their participation, according to a statement.
World Asia President Michael Tsang is in town meeting with people he needs to meet with to pull this thing off.
Among them is Judy Drosd, chief officer of the Arts, Film and Entertainment Division of the state Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism.
World Asia has applied for permits to use the beach and other public venues, she said.
"It's a very ambitious and exciting project. We are so pleased that they've selected Hawaii as their jumping--off spot." He is working with a local free-lance producer, who did not return calls.
Some key visitor industry marketing and communications people had not been contacted by Tsang and had no idea what TheBuzz was talking about, when asked.
Established in 1996, Tsang's New York City-based company has staged more than 60 music and fashion events drawing audiences of 500 to 11,000.
"We're going to piece a lot of our segments that we've produced in the past into one big event," he said.
One of Tsang's goals is to stimulate the local economy, he said.
Carlson Wagonlit Travel, a global travel agency, will handle bookings for revelers.
The eight-day event is delineated at www.xentopia.com, where among the planned events is the Friday night fireworks display at Hilton Hawaiian Village, although a different time is listed.
The dragon boat contest is not the same as the annual AT&T event, but it is planned for Ala Moana Beach Park, Tsang said.
Club Xen, sort of a dance party on the beach with music videos a la MTV, will be taped for broadcast. World Asia's Web site has a link to WA-TV but it has thus far been for Internet streaming of video
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Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin. Call 529-4302, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210, Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached at: eengle@starbulletin.com
