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Matteo's owner plans to sell

A Waikiki landmark for fine dining, Matteo's Italian Restaurant, is being sold, though the staff of 42 will keep their jobs and the restaurant will keep its menu, according to its owner, Fred Livingston.

"It looks like the sale is proceeding. I've been assured by the new owners that the staff will retain their jobs," Livingston said.

The sale will take at least 60 days to conclude with a likely takeover date of May 1, he said. With Matteo's 20-year lease expiring later this year, Livingston said he did not want to re-sign another long-term lease.

"My lease is up in October; I didn't want to sign for another 10 years," he said. Located at the Marine Surf Hotel at the corner of Kuhio and Seaside avenues in Waikiki, Matteo's has been a well-known celebrity hangout since it was acquired by Livingston in 1985.

Livingston owns five other Oahu restaurants, Don Ho's Island Grill, Sunset Grill, The Crouching Lion, Trattoria and Davey Jones Ribs.

Matson raises fuel surcharge

Matson Navigation Co. said yesterday it will raise its fuel surcharge to 8 percent from 7.5 percent on its Hawaii and Guam/Northern Mariana Islands services beginning March 14.

The company said the rise was necessary because of sustained increases in fuel costs. Matson previously raised the fuel surcharge Sept. 15 to 7.5 percent from 6.5 percent, just months after the company had lowered the surcharge from 7.5 percent in May, Matson spokesman Jeff Hull said.

"We monitor fuel prices and wait for trends to appear, whether upward or downward, we adjust accordingly," he said.

Matson burns about 1.9 billions barrels of fuel annually. For every dollar increase per barrel of bunker fuel, Matson experiences increase of $1.9 million in operating costs, the company said.

The increase will translate to an additional $4.74 for customers shipping a vehicle to or from the West Coast. It currently costs $948 to ship a car, including the current 7.5 percent surcharge, between Honolulu and the Mainland.

HTA holding statewide meetings

The state Hawaii Tourism Authority will hold information-gathering sessions on all islands in April and May as part of its efforts to update the state's tourism strategic plan.

The authority will publish its completed plan incorporating the latest tourism studies as well input gathered from the statewide meetings by the end of the year.

The following meetings are scheduled: Lanai, March 9 at Lanai Library; Molokai, March 16 at Kaunakakai School Cafeteria; Maui, March 23 at Maui Waena Intermediate School; Kauai, March 30 at Radisson Kauai Beach Resort; Hilo, April 5 at Aupuni Center Conference Room; Kona, April 7 at Konawaena Elementary School; and Oahu, April 13 at the Hawaii Convention Center.