PO‘IPU — It all comes down to six simple words “Have fun. Make money. With Aloha.” That phrase is the philosophy held by Keoki’s Paradise Restaurant in Po‘ipu and its larger family of 13 TS Restaurant counterparts. On Friday, it
PO‘IPU — It all comes down to six simple words “Have fun. Make money. With Aloha.”
That phrase is the philosophy held by Keoki’s Paradise Restaurant in Po‘ipu and its larger family of 13 TS Restaurant counterparts.
On Friday, it will be 26 years since Sandy Saxten and Rob Thibaut opened Keoki’s Paradise in Po‘ipu, about nine years after they began their business partnership together and started TS Restaurants in California and Hawai‘i.
The two had been working together since 1969, when Rob came to work as a manager at Sandy’s first restaurant in Northern California. They became business partners and friends.
Over the years they merged with other partners and became part of a 16-unit restaurant chain that operated in metropolitan areas across the country and was ultimately named one of the 100 largest restaurant companies in the United States.
In 1975, however, the corporation was sold to a Nestle subsidiary at which point Rob and Sandy left to form TS Restaurants.
They started slow, choosing each location carefully and cultivating the restaurant until they felt it was time to open a new location. Keoki’s was fourth on their list, opening in January of 1986.
Along with the aloha of their service, the restaurant also has a unique tropical setting that has kept it a popular Kaua‘i choice.
As witnessed by their 26-year success story here, one of Keoki’s main goals is to attract more customers. Old and young. Tourist and kama‘aina. Families and couples. Expensive tastes and those eating on the cheaper side.
“We believe that everyone should come to a TS restaurant to enjoy food,” said marketing and bar manager Manette Decosta.
“We are not looking for an exclusive group,” she said.
Decosta, a 25-year staff member at the restaurant, knows what keeps Keoki’s on the top of customers’ lists.
“It’s a combination of ambiance, food and service,” she said.
Located in the Kiahuna Shopping Village in Po‘ipu, Keoki’s Paradise is lush. As guests enter the restaurant, they cross over a bridge with waterfalls on both sides.
The restaurant features a wide variety dishes and prices.
The signature choices continue to be the different preparations of fresh fish, prime rib dinners and the bar cafe menu.
“The Bamboo Bar and Cafe is a good, inexpensive option for customers,” Decosta said.
During her years at the restaurant, Decosta said what she has loved most is the relationships she has formed in the community.
“We have return customers that come back year after year,” she said.
“There’s really a camaraderie, and I’ve formed long-term relationships with people,” she said.
Although business has been relatively the same over the years, Decosta said the installation of their blizzard beer system has significantly increased business.
The device keeps both beer and mugs at a chilly 29 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s so cold, Decosta said, that ice actually breaks off the glass and makes little ice cubes for the customers. Keoki’s is one of only two places on Kaua‘i that have the system.
In addition to their food selection they have a daily happy hour, live local music nightly and the chef’s daily sunset menu special.
For more information about Keoki’s Paradise, visit www.keokisparadise.com or call 742-7534.
• Ali Vandergon, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 241) or by emailing avandergon@thegardenisland.com.
