Investments Blog

Elisia Flores, chief financial officer at L&L Hawaiian Barbecue, has joined American Savings Bank’s board of directors.

“We are excited to welcome someone of Elisia’s caliber, who has corporate experience locally with L&L Franchise Inc. and nationally with General Electric,” Rich Wacker, ASB president and CEO, said in a statement. “Elisia’s deep roots in Hawaii combined with her extensive finance experience bring much value to our board.”

Mike Kennedy, the president of the North…

U.S. Senator Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, on Thursday said the Economic Development Administration will award $210,000 to the University of Hawaii for the Maui Food Innovation Center.

The center is used by agribusiness and food entrepreneurs to develop and manufacture products.

Schatz said the funding will create a packaging and marketing support center at the University of Hawaii Maui College and is expected to create 32 jobs.

“This funding will help MFIC meet its goals to create jobs,…

As part of its $35 million renovation, two new food and beverage concepts will open this summer at the Queen Kapiolani Hotel.

International development company Plan Do See will open DECK., a pool terrace restaurant, and Knots Coffee Roasters, a café and bar, at the Waikiki hotel.

“Hawaii is a special place, full of rich culture and at Plan Do See we are inspired to bring that culture to life at DECK. and Knots Coffee Roasters,” Alan Sasayama, managing director of food and beverage at Plan Do…

2017 revenue: $142 million

+8.4%

Revenue increased at Imo’s Pizza during 2017 because of continued growth in same-store sales attributed to online ordering, the Imo’s Rewards program, and improvements to franchised locations.

The 100-restaurant chain, owned by the Imo family, signed NBA star Jayson Tatum as company spokesman, and hired Kim Myers, formerly of Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, as general counsel, and Craig Mehner, former director of business development at Landshire Inc., as director…

2017 revenue: $161 million

FLAT

The addition of several brands and the extension of current brands helped the Maryland Heights-based beer and non-alcohol beverage distributor Grey Eagle Distributors experience a slight increase in its 2017 revenue.

The same factors should help the company in 2018.

Owner, Chairman, CEO and President David Stokes said a wide variety of products, including ones in its non-alcohol segment, enabled Grey Eagle to deal with headwinds the beer industry has faced in recent…

2017 revenue: $105 million E

Summit Distributing’s agreement with Schlafly to distribute its beer in St. Louis and surrounding counties helped the company boost revenue last year.

The deal was announced in July and filled a void for Summit, said President and COO Kim Barrow. “It was a big deal for us because there is a lot of interest in local craft beers, and we were missing one,” he said. “It made our whole portfolio stronger, and we added people because of the deal.”

The company,…

Chicago magazine’s longtime dining editor Penny Pollack thought she was going to retire last October. Turns out, she wasn’t quite ready for that.

Instead, she and Michael Nagrant, a food critic and contributor to the Alinea restaurant cookbook, are launching a podcast project they’ve titled Dining Out Loud.

One goal of the podcasts is to shine some light on the mysterious ways food critics and restaurant reviewers go about their task.

Pollack and Nagrant also plan to set themselves up as…

A new bar has opened for business in a growing neighborhood of Birmingham.

Wes Frazer, Patrick Nelson, Daniel Drinkard and Payne Baker have opened Mom's Basement in Avondale, according to Bham Now.

The new bar serves canned beer, wine and liquors. It has a series of arcade games and a vintage photo booth.

Customers are encouraged to bring pictures of their mothers and frames to hang on the bar's honorary “mom wall.” The back of the bar also features a “Mom's growth wall” to mark customers' heights.…

Mexican restaurant El Arroyo, famous for its quirky sign that greets motorists on West Fifth Street, is embroiled in legal disputes over its trademark and rent payments for its lease, according to court records.

A lawsuit was filed April 30 in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas on behalf of Susan Ogden, whose parents, Robert and Mary Ogden, helped found El Arroyo. A limited partnership in their name acts as the restaurant's landlord.

The central issue is who rightfully owns…

The renowned French Laundry chef his new ventures and how he falls into them.