 | |
 | |
| Industry | Restaurant |
|---|---|
| Founded | October 17, 1966 |
| Founder | Francis and Charles Higa |
| Headquarters | 1765 South King Street, Honolulu, Hawaii |
Number of locations | 23 |
| Website | www |
Zippy's is a fast casual restaurant chain based in Hawaii. It has 23 locations and serves American, Japanese, Chinese, and Hawaiian fusion food. One of their best-selling items is chili. Zippy's can be found in Oahu, maui, Hawaii island, and the city of Las Vegas
On October 17, 1966, brothers Francis and Charles Higa opened the first Zippy's on South King Street in Honolulu, Hawaii. At first, the Higa brothers were going to open a car wash, but they ended up creating a restaurant. The kitchen was located in the back of the Zippy's McCully fast food operation. At the time, the zip code was gaining popularity because it was a faster and more efficient way for mail to arrive. The Higa brothers liked the idea of zip codes and they wanted their restaurant to have the same kind of service, so they named the restaurant Zippy's. Francis and Charlie bought mostly freestanding buildings so that they could stay open for 24 hours, attracting many late-night customers.
At the time that Zippy's was first created, a lot of Okinawan mom and pop restaurants were around. There weren't many mainland fast food chains in Hawaii at that time either. At that time, Spencecliff, Andy Wong (Byron's), and Zippy's were the only fast food restaurants around. Because of the competition, the Higa brothers decided on selling a variety of local foods. [1]
On November 19, 1983, Napoleon's Bakery opened its doors, due to the fact that Zippy's wanted to try something different. [2] They wanted to make the restaurant a one-stop shop, so that when the customer were done with their dinner, they could order a dessert. Because of the bakery's opening, the sales at Zippy's increased.[ citation needed ]
The founders, Francis and Charles Higa, created FCH Enterprise, Inc. in May 2002. Francis and Charles had different personalities and took on different roles to make the business successful. [3] Francis determined the direction of the company, while Charles made most of the operational decisions and handled all food and paper purchases. To this present day, Charles is happily retired and well.[ citation needed ] However, Francis died on March 25, 1999. [4] Francis' son, Jason Higa, is now the current CEO of FCH Enterprises, Inc.
When Zippy's Kaimuki restaurant opened, Charles would transport huge pots of chili in his station wagon. [5] Now, food is being prepared by Food Solutions International in Waipio and is sent to the different Zippy's around the islands.
On October 10, 2023 Zippy’s officially opened it first location outside of Hawaii in Las Vegas. [6]
Zippy's is open 24 hours and offers a wide variety of food combining American, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Hawaiian cuisine —that is, what people who live in Hawaii call "local" cuisine. [7] One of their signature dishes when they first opened was the Zip-min.[ clarification needed ] [8] Its signature food is their chili. Zippy's sells 110 tons of it every month through their stores, fund raising activities, and in retail markets. [9] Along with their chili, Zippy's sells a variety of plate lunches such as the Zip Pac and the Surf Pac. [10] The Zip Pac was introduced in May 1971. The Surf Pac was introduced in May 1985.[ citation needed ]
Most Zippy's restaurants also contain a separate counter for Napoleon's Bakery. [11] Two locations contain a separate sushi bar. [12]
Saimin is a noodle soup dish common in the contemporary cuisine of Hawaii. Traditionally consisting of soft wheat egg noodles served in a hot dashi garnished with diced green onions and a thin slice of kamaboko, modern versions of saimin include additional toppings such as char siu, sliced Spam, sliced egg, bok choy, mushrooms, or shredded nori. When Chinese dumplings are added to the noodle soup, it is seen on menus as the heartier wonton min. All saimin establishments have their own, often secret recipe for the soup base, but primarily use kombu and dried shrimp as major ingredients. Common table condiments mixed in the saimin broth are Chinese hot mustard and soy sauce, added in small quantities according to each individual's taste. Many local residents of Hawaii also enjoy barbecued teriyaki beef sticks (skewers) or American hamburgers as a side dish.
The cuisine of Hawaii incorporates five distinct styles of food, reflecting the diverse food history of settlement and immigration in the Hawaiian Islands, primarily originating from Polynesian, North American and East Asian cuisines.[a]
Brinker International, Inc. is an American multinational hospitality industry company that owns Chili's and Maggiano's Little Italy restaurant chains. Founded in 1975 and based in Dallas, Texas, Brinker currently owns, operates, or franchises 1,672 restaurants under the names Chili's Grill & Bar and Maggiano's Little Italy worldwide.
The Maui Invitational, currently sponsored as the Allstate Maui Invitational, is an annual early-season college basketball tournament that takes place Thanksgiving week, normally in Lahaina, Hawaii, at the Lahaina Civic Center on the island of Maui. It is hosted by Chaminade University of Honolulu, an NCAA Division II school. Seven NCAA Division I men's basketball teams are invited to Maui to complete the field. The Maui Invitational has been played since 1984 and is carried by ESPN. Camping World became the title sponsor for the 2020 Tournament only. Maui Jim became the title sponsor of the tournament in 2015 and returned as title sponsor in 2021 and 2022; the previous fourteen tournaments were sponsored by EA Sports. The Maui Invitational and Allstate announced a new title partnership starting for the 2023 tournament, which was held in Oʻahu because of the Maui wildfires.
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L&L Hawaiian Barbecue, known also as L&L Drive-Inn or colloquially as L&L, is the only Hawaii-origin, Hawaii-themed franchise restaurant franchise from Honolulu, Hawaii, centered on the plate lunch.
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Ryan Higa, also known as nigahiga, is an American internet personality. Best known for his comedy videos on YouTube, Higa began making YouTube videos in 2006 and was one of the most popular creators on the platform in its early years. His main YouTube channel, nigahiga, was the most subscribed channel on YouTube over two periods, a very brief 9 day period in September and October 2008, and a 675 consecutive day period from 2009 to 2011, a period of time as the most-subscribed channel that has only been surpassed by PewDiePie and T-Series since. Higa was the first person to reach the milestones of 2 million and 3 million subscribers on YouTube. Higa launched a podcast in 2018 called Off the Pill, which has featured YouTubers and celebrities such as KevJumba, Andrew Yang, and Jeremy Lin. In 2020, Higa started streaming on Twitch, where he reacts to his past videos and broadcasts video game content, most notably in Valorant.
King's Hawaiian is a Los Angeles-based family-owned and operated bakery, known chiefly for its Hawaiian bread. It was founded by Robert Taira in Hilo, Hawaii, in 1950.
Leonard's Bakery is a Portuguese bakery in Honolulu, Hawaii, known for popularizing the malasada. The fried pastry, slightly crispier and chewier than a doughnut and with no hole, is known as a cuisine of Hawaii. Though Portuguese immigrants brought the malasada to Hawaii at the turn of the 20th century, Leonard's opened in 1952 and brought it to a wider audience. Leonard's is a household name in Hawaii and is well known in the continental United States and internationally. A franchise location opened in Japan in 2008.
Honolulu Cookie Company is a food and gift producer and retailer based in Honolulu, Hawaii. It was founded in 1998 by Keith and Janet Sung. In 1998, the company began producing shortbread cookies with a signature pineapple shape. The pineapple shape was chosen because of its symbolism of hospitality associated with Hawaii.
Snow puffies are a variation of a mille-feuille popularized by Paʻalaʻa Kai Bakery in Waialua. Snow puffies are a popular dessert in Hawaii often purchased as omiyage or recreated by home pastry chefs.
