 My name is Cheryl Matsuoka, the Executive Director of the Hawai'i Restaurant Association and the Hawai'i Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. Mahalo for joining me here on Restaurants of Hawai'i on the ThinkTech platform. Every year, the members of Hawai'i's restaurant industry come together to honor outstanding individuals for their career accomplishments and the impact they made to our food service industry. Today, we're calling on you all to provide more nominees that can be inducted into the Hawai'i Restaurant Association's Hall of Fame. Today, we'll be speaking with past inductees, taking you on a little trip down memory lane. And we're going to talk about the past inductees and maybe you can consider who your current favorite restaurant tours are and seeing if they've been inducted into our Hawai'i Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. So please, may I have my guests introduce themselves, past inductee and previous, I'm going to say Chairman, how many times Tom Jones of the Hawai'i Restaurant Association? Four times. Four times, Chairman of the Hawai'i Restaurant Association and past inductee into the Hall of Fame. Tom, you want to introduce yourself? Tell them a little bit about your history and the restaurants you currently have. Sure, my name is Tom Jones. I'm the President and Co-Owner of the Giotaku Japanese Restaurants. I founded Giotaku in 2021, some many years ago with my partner, Tonya Willie. I'm originally a chef and I trained in Japanese food because of my interest in Japanese cuisine. Back in the 1980s, I came to Hawai'i and I worked for Kyoto and then Columbia and I worked with Jean two way back. And then we started the restaurant in Pearl City, the Giotaku Japanese restaurant. And then you forgot Kuromo? Oh, Kuromo too, that's right. We do have Kuromo Japanese restaurant. It's a katsu and curry bistro at Pearl Ridge Shopping Center. It opened about five weeks before COVID hit. But we're still alive and doing well over there. Fresh katsu, it's great food. And you know that's one of my husband's favorites because we go to both the Giotaku and the Kuromo. So I always tell Tom when I'm out there, delicious, absolutely delicious. I'd also like to introduce Jean Kanashiro Jean. We met years ago. I kind of vaguely remember that, you know, my name is Jean Kanashiro. My family was the Columbian. My father was the inductee, one of the first dozen or so. And the Columbian was located in two locations, actually three locations. One, the original was done in Baratanya Street and Manakea. And the second one, after we had to close that, we moved to Kapilani Boulevard and became the Columbia and top of the Boulevard next to the newspaper building. I was working there with my father and the rest of the family, the Kanashiro family. And then later we sold the restaurants to the Giotaku Corporation out of Tokyo. And I went on to become the food service director for the school lunch program. At that time, I used to brag that I used to serve 151,000 meals every day. And that's when I that's when I met you when you were trying to sell us some coffee machines for the cafeterias or something like that. Yeah, exactly. We were installing them back then. It was all stacks that you did all your inventory ordering. That's right. Yeah. Yeah. So that's when I first met Jean and because, you know, the Kanashiro family is an iconic family here in Hawaii. It was such an honor. I will tell you that I many times have been to your restaurant back there. Like Tom said, there was a round table, Tom. It was like the I can see a round table in that restaurant. It was in the bar and, you know, like that round table actually came from the original Baratanya restaurant. So that table was was like at that time, over 50 years old, when we when we sold the restaurant. You know, I remember many, many famous people being there, especially during lunchtime, a lot of government officials and lawmakers were there when I used to go in. Yeah. Yes. Yes. And Bob Segal, we don't have to even introduce him on our Bob to have you because I'm a faithful follower of you, as you can see, many, many years. The common denominator we have is that walk down memory lane. Bob, you want to introduce yourself and share with our viewers some of the things that you're doing today? Well, I think I'm the lightweight in the group here. I'm just kind of tagging along and taking notes and happy to have accidentally become a journalist and an author. I wasn't planning on doing that, but I ended up writing a book about Hawaii's top businesses and people and places and and people like it. And so the advertiser hired me 12 years ago to write a regular feature. I've probably written about Giotaku and and Tosh Kanashiro and Columbia in a dozen times or more. My readers have so many great stories about them. And Tosh Kanashiro was really an unusual and a terrific marketer. And so I'm happy to be part of this group today. Oh, thank you. Thank you so much. So Tom Jones, first question to you. We're going to talk about the Hall of Fame. And today's show is all about encouraging more people to submit their favorite restaurateur's names to the Hall of Fame. Tom, you want to take it from there? Yeah, sure. I, you know, I was on the board of directors. Pardon me. I've been on the board of directors for about 20 some odd years. And when the idea of the first Hall of Fame came about, Gail Anchu was our executive director, and she was the, you know, the the founder of the Hall of Fame dinners. And they looked for they were looking for nominees. And of course, because of my association with the Columbia in back then, you know, the Kanashiro family, Tosh, Jean, they came to mind immediately. And so I nominated the jeans, you know, dad and the Columbia in to become members back then, because I knew about their history and how important it was to Honolulu and to Hawaii. And so I think that's what, you know, is so important, is that for a lot of people, restaurant, you know, restaurants become a favorite place for them to go. They meet their friends there, they meet, you know, the business associates there. They celebrate events. And so for, you know, all of our listeners today, I'm sure they all have, you know, memories of great restaurants that they'd like to go to. And that's why we want to share our stories today. Exactly. So many fond memories at Columbia and at Giotaku. I can, you know, he knows that that's our sweet place. So, Jean, what was it like for you and the Kanashiro family to have your dad and the iconic Columbia in being dected into the first Hall of Fame in 2007? Gosh, I looked at that. It's like six years ago, Jean. Two thousand and seven. That's a long time ago. We were at the family was very, very happy. Just to give you a short background, you know, my dad passed away when he was age 60 back in 1981, just before the Dodgers born the World Series in 1981. And, you know, and, you know, a lot of the things that he did in that short time, I would say that he ran the restaurant with the family. He accomplished a whole lot of things. You need to know that the original Columbia and was scheduled to be open on Monday, December 8, 1941. And so, you know, what the restaurateurs today are going through with this three and a half years of this pandemic and all this disruption in the business and so forth. Can you imagine my father and his older brother contemplating opening or they were actually going to open a restaurant on Monday. They said, Monday is a good day to open a restaurant. And they were in the restaurant on Sunday morning, cleaning up, getting ready, all excited. And all of a sudden the bombs are dropping down on Pearl Harbor. And then the next few years, it was very good years in terms of business, but to run a business during that time was like running a business during the current pandemic. They were subject to shortages of equipment, shortages of food, things were rationed. They had lots of workers, which is different from the pandemic. They had lots of customers, which is different from the pandemic, but just to operate a restaurant. And therefore, learning about them running a restaurant during those trying years, only from sun up until sun down, because the blackout was enforced. My parents went through a whole lot. And my father, who was somewhat introverted at that time, worked as hard as he can, promoting his own little restaurant in his own little way. He called it the Columbia and the Gemini slums. But they persevered. And so to the people who are watching, who want to open their restaurants and worry about, are we going to get another pandemic and it's going to ruin our business plans and so on, I would say to them, they should persevere and follow their dream and go for it. I know Tom has been going through this whole thing and many, many other restaurant tours. I used to worry for them, even though I'm retired and out of the food service business, I feel for them, but I want to encourage them to continue. And so being an icon restaurant, as you put it, and being elected to the Hall of Fame makes me feel good, makes the family feel good. I'm very proud, you know, but we're going to the same thing, folks. And I just hope that everybody will succeed. Thank you. Thank you so much. So Bob, what are some of the things that May Tosh kind of share on the Columbia Inn and iconic Hawaii restaurant and gathering place? Share some stories, Bob. Well, you know the basics were quality food and drinks at affordable prices 24 hours a day in a comfortable family cafe. But beyond that, Tosh said he wanted, the customers wanted service, a clean place, and a sympathetic ear. And he was also very lucky that when he moved, he ended up next to the news building. And all the people next door would come over to eat and drink and to escape from their editor and their supervisor. And to meet people. And then people after entertaining the entertainers in Waikiki would come by, you know, to unwind and have a snack before going home. And then politicians and journalists got there. Dave Donnelly, one of my predecessors of the paper, used to have his own phone installed at the round table in the bar. And Gene would put up little notepads for him that he could tear off the wall, you know, when people called in with items for his three-dot column. So, you know, the restaurant back then averaged 1,000 meals a day, which is really phenomenal. And, you know, I kind of see Tosh as the Tom Hanks of local restaurants. He was the average guy that everyone could relate to. Love that. So, Tom Jones, do you have any questions for Gene? Wow. Well, yeah, actually, a quick story. Gene was the one that turned me on to recycling. I remember he took me out back when I was learning. I was never, I was in Kamahaina, and I was one of those Holly guys from the mainland who actually went to Japan. So, I was kind of persona non grata for quite a while. And Gene was very kind to me. It took me out back one day. We were looking in the dumpster area, and he was pointing out what the slot bins were. And I'll never forget that he said, you know, the guys come and put the food in here, all the leftover trimmings and stuff. And then by and by, he said that the pig farmer will come and take it away. And he said, then at Christmas time, he'll come and bring you one big, fat pig. So, that was recycling, you know, back in the day. And I'll never forget how kind Gene was and the whole family, you know, sharing these stories with me and helping me become more local in a way. And so, spent 30 years, and I really appreciate the generosity. I think that hospitality and generosity is really what, you know, the Canashiro family brought to the restaurant and brought to the community. And I think that's what makes, you know, restaurants, you know, like the Columbia, and, you know, perfect nominees for induction into the Hall of Fame. So, Gene, you know, I think another inductee was Wisteria, right? So, your dad had a relationship with the Asato family too, right? Yeah, that's right. Sure, if I may, you know, the reason why Tom and I know each other is because he worked for Kiotaro Corporation, which was a Sushi Corporation, one of the, I believe Tom, the second largest in Tokyo at that time, back in the- The largest. Yeah, the largest, you know. And that's who we sold our Columbia Inns too. And therefore, Tom and I, you know, worked together and we continued the Columbia Inn in one area, and the Waimaru restaurant was converted to Kiotaro-style family restaurant, which today is what Kiotaku family-style restaurant is. And that's why we know each other. But, you know, going back to, you know, thinking about how my father taught us how to run a restaurant, he worked us hard, but he allowed us to have fun. And because of that, you know, we wanted to work hard, not unknowingly, and sometimes to a halt because, you know, I spent so much time at the restaurant that I regret, you know, not spending enough time with my own family and my daughter grew up, you know, so quickly. And I forgot that, you know, I'm supposed to be a family man besides being a restaurateur. The Columbia Inn was busy and we made it busy, but all the other restaurants doing those times were busy too, you know. We never looked, my father taught us, never look at another restaurant as your competitor. Our competitor in the restaurant business is the supermarket. Remember, Bob and Tom, we talked about that yesterday, the supermarket. My father, back in the 80s or 70s, like mid 70s, he said, don't worry about what the other restaurants are doing. Just fill your restaurant and be good customers by providing them with food, good food, good service, you know, and do your thing. Don't worry about the next guy because your competitor is the supermarkets. They're the ones that are going to be doing pre-prepared foods. They're the ones that people buy food from and bring to work for lunch. But make people want to come to your restaurant, not have to. And so the newspaper building, being right next door to us, ran 24 hours and our restaurant ran 24 hours. So make them feel welcome and nurture the clientele around the area. The hospital, Queen's Hospital was up the street, nurture them, you know, and we used to have the emergency room nurses used to come down about once every couple of months and they used to, the midnight shift nurses at the emergency room. They used to walk in at seven o'clock in the morning, eat breakfast and want to drink beer. Yeah. And so I had to get up early and rush down the restaurant and open up the bar and serve them beer because they're pahana. They're having their pahana drink, but we had to nurture them and that's, you know, when you cater to the people that come to you, make them feel welcome, give them their money's worth as you can, you know. And really, that's what the essence of the hospitality business is and that's what the restaurant business is all about. That's so true. And as you mentioned, your dad was such an amazing mentor, Jean. He just mentored you and you had the desire to stay in the food service industry. Tom and I talk about this all the time, right? Our future workforce is what we need to mentor and we need to encourage. My husband told me stories about his dad, little George. What he would do is throw quarters in the corners of all the booths. So when he vacuumed, he would vacuum up a quarter and then he could keep the quarter, but that would encourage him to want to be the best vacuum, encourage him to get all the corners, right? Because there may be a quarter in that corner. But yes, how do we mentor? How do we encourage our future employees to be excellent in the food service industry is something that we all work on. So Bob, you've profiled so many amazing restaurant tours and what is, why is it important to recognize these restaurant icons and tell their stories? Well, a couple of reasons. One is that history gives us the context for today. So we don't understand what's going on today without understanding the context that it happened in. So it makes sense today because of what we went through back in the 70s and the 60s when Tosh and his brother were opening and running and doing a great job with the restaurant. And from my reader's point of view, the Columbia Inn was a happening place when they were young, when they were in their youth, when they first had a few dollars in their pocket, when they had four wheels and an old jalopy that they could take out of the garage and run around town and pick up their girl or their guy. And it was a comfortable place. You'd always bump into somebody you knew at the Columbia Inn. It is so true. So gentlemen, as we wind down the show, I just want everyone to have one last opportunity to say their closing remarks. But Jean, the standard has been set incredibly high for the next generation of restaurateurs in Hawaii. You know, Columbia Inn sets that bar very, very high. And we want to learn from past inductees about how they achieved, how you and your family achieved success in the industry back then. But do you have any closing statements before we close the show? Well, you notice that many restaurants today are owned and operated by chefs, not necessarily restaurant managers or the restaurant owners that have become chefs. And that's the major difference I see, you know. And I just hope that these chefs would continue to do that because that's where the credit is due. You know, you take the raw Yamaguchi's and the Alan Wong's and, you know, they set the standard, you know, they set it high, yes. And there's a lot of restaurants in town that are doing a lot of great things, you know. And they should continue and don't give up. I know things are really tough right now, but it's got to get better, you know. And that's the only thing I can tell them that, you know, I don't know where we're going to find employees. I don't know where they're going to find capital, food supplies and all those kind of things. But don't give up. Just keep plowing away and be creative and do your thing. Thank you, Jean. Thank you so much for joining the show today. Bob, closing statements about everything you've lived through and you want to share more moving forward. Bob has, Bob, you want to share about the Rear View Mirror and your book? Well, you know, I used to teach marketing at Hawaii Pacific University before I wrote my books, my companies, We Keep Books and Rear View Mirror. And I see Toshkan Ashero as an excellent marketer. There's a lot that people could learn from him. For instance, he created a sign that was about five feet wide or tall and maybe 30 feet wide. It said, Columbia Inn. And if you hit a home run through the ball, excuse me, hit the ball through a hole in the sign in center right field at Honolulu Stadium, the first guy to do that won $1,000. And if you hit a home run, didn't go through, but you or you pitched a shutout, you also got a free steak dinner at Columbia Inn. And in 1968, they gave away 65 steak dinners to players of the Hawaii Islanders. You know, that's something that any restaurant could take and run with themselves today. It was a brilliant tactic. For instance, Shohei Otani, my wife loves him. He's with the angels. No restaurant locally has seemed to adopt him. It's an opportunity that's there for the taking. That's true. Very true. Very true, Bob. Thank you so much for those words of wisdom and marketing advice. Tom Jones, before we close the show, what walk to share about the Hall of Fame and you yourself being an honoree and inductee into the Hall of Fame? Well, the restaurant industry is a people business. It's a lot of people in the restaurant serving a lot of people who are the customers. So you really need to have great people skills to be successful in the restaurant business. That's mission critical. And then so for our diners and people that may be watching today, they should be thinking or asking themselves, what restaurant do I find myself in several times a year, once a month, maybe even weekly? And in some cases daily, where are my favorite places to eat and why? And I think if they ask themselves that question, they're going to find out who they could be recommending to be the next inductee into the Hawaii Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. So that's my recommendation. I'm sure they're finding themselves being taken good care of and eating good food and that's why they return. And that type of a restaurant is a perfect candidate for induction. Thank you, Tom. Thank you gentlemen so much for being with me today. It was a great show, a great walk down memory lane and so wonderful to see everyone. Again, my name is Cheryl Matsuoka, the executive director of the Hawaii Restaurant Association and the Hawaii Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. The Hawaii Restaurant Association is the organization unifying, representing and supporting Hawaii's restaurants and food service industry. Thank you so much for being with us today. We'll see you again soon.