WAIPOULI — Darlene Chung owns and operates all five McDonald’s restaurants on Kauai. She has stores in Lihue, Eleele and inside the Walmart and Kukui Grove locations. The one in Waipoli, though, is special. Yes, because it was just rebuilt to the
WAIPOULI — Darlene Chung owns and operates all five McDonald’s restaurants on Kauai. She has stores in Lihue, Eleele and inside the Walmart and Kukui Grove locations. The one in Waipoli, though, is special.
Yes, because it was just rebuilt to the tune of $3 million and will open soon, ahead of schedule, after six months of construction. But there’s another reason.
This one will have “The Tree of Life” memorial, a tree, small garden and rock with a plaque. Chung dedicated the store to the memory of her late husband and co-owner Frankie Chung, who passed away in 2011.
“I know that my husband is with us,” Chung said during the store’s blessing Monday afternoon. “This store is dedicated to my husband.”
She thanked her friends “Butch and Allana” for dedicating the young tree to her late husband that’s planted outside the restaurant. She also thanked her managers and supervisors for their strength during the construction.
“This is also for all the crew, the old timers as well as the new, and to all our visitors and customers that became my friends,” Chung said.
Her husband, many said, would have been delighted with the new McDonald’s, where a blessing was held Monday and a few hundred people got an inside look at the island’s newest McDonald’s.
“This is the most energy-efficient store and that was something that we really strived to do with the new equipment,” Chung said. “If anything, that is the most important change along with the contemporary look.”
The small dining room seats 66, but with stools and counters, and a corner nook that will host laptops as well as the food trays, the environment is attractive. No more servers yelling names, as a digital screen announces to customers when their order is up.
The local touches are the coconut tree wallpaper and another wall is adorned with local and Hawaiian words. The kitchen has two industrial rice cookers that are common to Hawaiian stores for the rice with breakfast option, as well as saimin.
“The biggest thing we wanted was a level store and a longer drive through,” Chung said. “It has double the length of the old drive through, and we are going to do our best to move them through quickly.”
Lihue shift manager Shannon Brun said the store is different and much more modern than the Lihue store built in 2010.
The past four years of technology of compacting has made it easier for the crew with an updated production area, she said.
“Basically, you just press a button and the job is up,” Brun said. “It makes it easier to train people and efficiency is guaranteed.
Mayor Bernard P. Carvalho Jr. shared the ribbon cutting honors with Chung. The mayor also led the crowd of a few hundred in singing the blessing. Kona and Maui McDonald’s owners were also on hand to celebrate the restaurant dedicated to Chung’s husband.
“My husband and I always threw parties for my family and friends,” Chung said. “This is the only way that I can do it now is to bring everyone in together, because once we open those doors then everyone is part of our family and friends.”
