Busy weekend for restaurants with Mother’s Day, Graduation
Join Max as he explores Tiki's Grill & Bar in Honolulu during the busy Mother's Day and Graduation weekend. Watch as Director of Operations and Partner Michael Miller discusses the growing demand for reservations, their special menu offerings, and how they're catering to local families during these challenging times. Don't miss out on this insider look at Hawaii's thriving restaurant scene!
by: Max Rodriguez Posted: May 7, 2023 / 07:06 PM HST / Updated: May 7, 2023 / 10:46 PM HST
HONOLULU (KHON2) — Next weekend is expected to be a busy one for Hawaii restaurants, not only will it be Mother’s Day but graduations are also taking place on the same weekend, but those waiting last minute to make reservations may still be in luck.
The Tiki’s Grill & Bar Director of Operations and Partner Michael Miller said business is picking up, especially with the summer months approaching. He said reservations are coming in for Mother’s Day Sunday brunch, but they still have some availability during the later evening hours.
Miller said, “If you don’t have a reservation it may be up to an hour-long that day because most of the places that have been around that are doing a great job are going to be busy.”
Other places like 53 By The Sea have been fully booked since a couple of weeks ago. The restaurant manager Royce Takahashi said they are planning on being fully staffed.
“A lot of it is a mental game as well,” Takahashi said. “But the staff here you know they’ve, they work very hard and it’s nothing that’s really new to them. As long as you come in with a good mindset, a game plan for service it should go, it should go smoothly, knock on wood.”
Restaurant kitchens have been preparing for this coming busy weekend for months. From creating a fixed menu or buffet, and making sure the ingredients are available.
Miller said they also factored in the cost of the items on the special menu and how much customers are willing to pay for a meal. He understands many local families are working hard to just pass by during economic hardships.
“If you look at our pricing compared to some of our other friends in the industry, we priced ours below theirs,” Miller said. “And we did that on purpose because we didn’t want to gouge families so we thought ours was fair, to help cover our costs, make a little bit of money but really give a great experience.”
The Hawaii Restaurant Association Executive Director Sheryl Matsuoka is asking folks to notify restaurants if they need to cancel, other people may be looking for that reservation.
Matsuoka said, “My recommendation is to call the restaurant, many times you can call the restaurants and they will say, ‘Hey guess what someone just canceled I can put you in on these times,’ a lot of times if you do call you might be able to get a reservation." Many restaurants will be updating their availability online as the week goes on, they asked that customers to continue checking if there is a certain time they want.
Tiki's Grill & Bar - 2570 Kalakaua Ave, Honolulu, HI 96815
