Peter Kim plans to bring his Liliha Bakery’s famed coco puffs a little closer to Downtown Honolulu with the opening of a second location in the former Sam Choy’s Breakfast, Lunch & Crab restaurant on Nimitz Highway.
The new location will be only 1.5 miles from the original Liliha Bakery on North Kuakini Street off Liliha Street, but Kim expects it will attract an expanded customer base, being in a high-traffic area on the way to Downtown Honolulu and Waikiki, rather than a residential neighborhood.
“I thought it would be a good fit because there is traffic going out to the west, and going toward the airport,” Kim told me over breakfast at the nearby Zippy’s Restaurant.
He added that commuters driving to work downtown, or to Waikiki, could stop for pastries on their way to the office, and visitors and residents alike could pick something up on their way to Honolulu International Airport.
Kim said the restaurant will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and he expects to get good crowds for each meal because of the location and the traffic. He has not decided whether it will be open 24 hours, but closed on Mondays, like the other Liliha Bakery location.
Kim anticipates construction will begin in January, with the restaurant open for business in May. Understanding the permitting and construction process and common delays associated with it, though, he told me not to quote him on the opening date.
Once the second location is up and running, Kim will begin working on opening a third location. His ideal location is in the Pearl City area, but said the west side of Oahu is another option.
The Nimitz Highway location will have about 45 counter seats and 120 dining room seats, compared to the existing location’s total of 23 seats.
“We’re going to try to do exactly what has been done at the original location. We’re probably going to have a bigger dinner menu ... but other than that, we’re going to try to be exactly the same as Liliha Bakery,” Kim said.
He plans to hire between 60 and 70 people to work at the new location, about the same as the Liliha Bakery team of 64 employees.