Buffet 100 did not enter the year of the tiger.

The restaurant that touted 100 items on its lunch and dinner buffets has closed after about 12 years at Ward Warehouse, shutting down at the end of December with no fanfare.

“;The lease expired and they opted not to renew,”; said Donna Farrell, general manager of Ward Centers.

“;I was there a couple times, for lunches with different groups ... and the service was good and the food was good,”; she said.

It was ranked No. 3 among buffet restaurants in the 2006 Hawaii's Best rankings by Star-Bulletin readers, after Todai and Makino Chaya, respectively. Its owner could not be reached.

The 4,860-square-foot space is being marketed, but “;we don't have any prospects at this point,”; Farrell said.

A little farther Diamond Head, at Ward Centre, Paparazzi and Ka, both restaurants and nightspots, have opened in spaces formerly occupied by Brew Moon and E&O Trading Co., while Pablo McGinty's, a small chain combining Irish pub and Mexican food concepts, will be opening in the old Compadres space in the spring. The three new tenants fill the vacancies that caused such a stir among customers, employees and the business community.

Buffet 100 notwithstanding, the retailer and restaurateur departures “;seem to have stabilized a little bit,”; Farrell said.

While some categories continue to struggle a bit, “;some of the retailers (and restaurateurs) had a December that was flat or up over December of last year.”;

The fast-casual restaurant segment, with its moderate or value-oriented prices, “;has continued to stay popular,”; she said. Eateries including Kua Aina, Kaka'ako Kitchen, Zpizza and Taco Del Mar “;are doing OK.”;

Meanwhile, 15 Ward Centre and Ward Warehouse restaurants are offering $5 meal deals, some for certain meals, some all day. The news was e-mailed some weeks ago to customers who subscribe to the Ward Centers' free e-newsletter, and details are also posted online.

On the Net:
» wardcenters.com

Got deadline pressure?

The Pele Awards deadline for locally generated advertising and design work for print, broadcast and online platforms is Monday. Yes, Monday.

Lollygagging (or insanely busy) late entrants have until Feb. 5, but there will be a $10 late entry fee.

Judges will be here assessing all the industry's finest work—or all that the large, small and boutique shops could enter—on Feb. 12 and 13.

There is still plenty of time for one task: shopping for just the right gown or tux or suit, “;aloha crisp”; or other attire for the industry awards gala April 10 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

The creative competition is open to any individual, company or organization engaged in advertising or design work in Hawaii, and there is no limit to the number of entries that can be submitted. However, work entered in the Pele competition can't be entered in any other ADDY competition in the U.S. Work must have been conceived and created in the state of Hawaii, though production services outside Hawaii may be used, according to the organization's rules.

All the contest entry information, categories and many past winners can be accessed and viewed online.

On the Net:
» www.aafhawaii.com