Say aloha, Florida. Fast-casual chain Hawaiian Bros Island Grill is moving in, in a big way.
The Kansas City-based, Hawaiian-inspired restaurant chain has been expanding quickly in recent years. Now it has plans for 52 locations across Florida over the next six years, according to chainstoreage.com.
Their development partner, Southern Rock Restaurants, plans to open Hawaiian Bros places across Jacksonville, Gainesville, Tampa, and Orlando, with 24 locations planned in the next three years. Southern Rock also handles McAlister's Deli and Dave's Hot Chicken.
"Entering Florida is a highly anticipated milestone for Hawaiian Bros, and we couldn’t ask for a more experienced group to help establish our presence in the state," Grant Kreutzer, senior VP
of franchise development at Hawaiian Bros, said in a statement.
Hawaiian Bros currently operates more than 100 restaurants across 14 states, but the company has more than 350 restaurants under development agreements in 20 states, including Florida, Chain Store Age said.
What is Hawaiian Bros Island Grill?
Two brothers, Cameron and Tyler McNie, helped their family open a small restaurant in Oregon that featured the traditional Hawaiian Plate Lunch, a regional favorite in the Hawaiian islands for nearly 150 years. They based their recipes on authentic foods from a native Hawaiian named Kekoa after he closed his own place in 2003, with his blessing and training.
In 2018, they teamed up with friends Paul and Joel Worcester and brought Hawaiian Plate Lunch to the Midwest, in Kansas City. Since then, the chain has expanded quickly.
What is Hawaiian Bros Island Grill famous for?
Hawaiian Bros features the classic Hawaiian Plate Lunch, a staple of workers in the islands since the 1880s when pineapple and sugar plantation workers would bring lunch consisting of leftovers from the night before, the company said. It was usually meat or fish, with rice to bulk it up, but the gradual mix of foods from workers of different cultures migrating to the area resulted in a fusion of many different flavors.
The chain's plate lunches start with chicken or pork prepared in a variety of ways, such as Huli Huli Chicken (marinated teriyaki), Molokai Chicken (sweet and spicy), Honolulu Chicken (garlic, green onions and sesame), Kilauea Chicken (sweet and spicy, but hotter), and Luau Pork (slow-roasted and seasoned with Hawaiian sea salt).
Each plate lunch comes with white rice and macaroni salad, and is available in classic and big sizes. Other sides include pineapple, seasoned vegetables, and Spam Musabi.
You can also choose a Pacific Island Salad, which is Huli Huli Chicken on romaine lettuce with mandarin oranges, green onions, cilantro, and chow mein noodles with vinaigrette; Pineapple Luau Sliders; and a variety of wraps. Dessert is a low-calorie Dole Soft Serve.
C. A. Bridges is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida's service journalism Connect team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Aloha! Hawaiian Bros plans major Florida expansion with 52 locations
