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Restaurants open and close daily. This led us to wonder what the 'recipe' that successful restaurants use. Chef Alan Wong's initial location on King Street seems to go against conventional wisdom. The location has no street visibility, no large sign and limited parking. They don't rely on walk in customers or tourists yet they have been at full capacity since they opened.
Wong's commitment to the community seems to be an important ingredient in his success recipe. One way of giving back is the monthly dinners that the restaurant prepares for the Moiliili Senior Citizen Center free of charge.
Wong entered the restaurant industry by sculpting a 300 lbs block of ice, vegetables and talo. From there he moved up to washing dishes and through 10 different jobs at the Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel.
At the suggestion of a former manager, Wong attended the Food Service Management at Kapiolani Community College (KCC). Ironically, Wong would return to help establish the Culinary School at KCC and was named as an Outstanding Alumnus in 2001.
Wong's career led him to the Mauna Lani Hotel in Kona. Wanting to return to Oahu, a friend set up an opportunity for Wong to cook for some local business people. This was the day after Hurricane Iniki wreaked havoc on Hawaii. One diner turned out to be Francis Higa (founder of Zippy's) who turned out to be his initial investor. Higa also owned the property that Alan Wong's flagship restaurant is located in.
Since then, Wong has expanded to three locations in Hawaii and one in Japan.
For more information visit AlanWongs.com.
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