KAPA‘A — Sunday is the last day to grab a slice or a pie from Pizza Hut in Kapa‘a — at least for a little while. The restaurant is relocating from its Waipouli Plaza location of 26 years to share
KAPA‘A — Sunday is the last day to grab a slice or a pie from Pizza Hut in Kapa‘a — at least for a little while.
The restaurant is relocating from its Waipouli Plaza location of 26 years to share its sister company Taco Bell’s space about a quarter of a mile north on Kuhio Highway.
The grand opening for Pizza Hut’s new location is scheduled for Aug. 12, restaurant manager Jolynn Galiza said on Wednesday.
“Basically, it will be the same menu, and maybe delivery to an expanded area,” said Galiza adding that the lunch buffet won’t be offered at the new location, but personal pan pizza and breadsticks will be available at Taco Bell’s drive-through window.
The move apparently won’t send anyone to the unemployment agency.
“Nobody is losing their job,” she added. “We’re taking everyone with us.”
The greatest advantage of the move is the cost-savings on electricity and lease, Galiza said. The Taco Bell-Pizza Hut pairing is a “dual concept,” something being incorporated on Maui and O‘ahu, and now on Kaua‘i.
Rumor around the plaza is a new restaurant tenant is already lined up for Pizza Hut’s 3,600-square-foot end-cap location, but Elaine Gariby of the plaza’s leasing and management firm, The Krausz Companies, said no contracts have been inked as of yet.
“The only other activity I’m aware of is we’ll get a new McDonald’s next year,” Gariby said. “It’s a rebuild, so it will stay in the same location.”
Fun Factory
Another rumor circulating the Kapa‘a community is Fun Factory is closing down after more than 30 years in Waipouli Plaza.
“No way,” said Fun Factory Manager Tristol Manuel on Wednesday. “We’re expanding.”
A second Kaua‘i Fun Factory location is scheduled to open Sept. 27, Manuel said. About 20 years ago, Fun Factory had a location in Kukui Grove, she said, though she was not sure why it closed or when. She did recall that it was one of a few business that had power after Hurricane Iniki struck in 1992.
“The new Kukui Grove location is a little bit smaller and near McDonald’s and Sweet Pia’s,” she said. “It’s a perfect location because there’s an outdoor covered area for birthday parties.”
Manuel receives a lot of requests for birthday parties, but they cannot accommodate food and drinks inside of the Fun Factory. It’s not just about getting spilling soda on games, she said. It’s a matter of safety from electrocution.
The new location will mean the creation of an estimated six new jobs, but only for those 18-years and older, she said. Manuel will manage both locations.
Blockbuster
One business that has recently left the plaza: Blockbuster video store. The closure last month displaced a half dozen employees.
Its former 8,000-square-foot retail space is now a large void in Waipouli Plaza.
But Blockbuster hasn’t left Kaua‘i. The Kukui Grove Center location is still in operation.
