HONOLULU (KHON2) — Hawaii restaurants are grappling with rising costs for just about everything from food to insurance prices, and the future is a bit uncertain with a minimum wage increase on the horizon.
The owner of Ruby Tuesday Hawaii said it is a challenging time for local restaurants. He used to have five locations in the Islands.
“We’ve scaled down to two restaurants, but the ability to make money in profit is so difficult,” Rick Nakashima said. “Food has just skyrocketed. You see what happens when you go to the grocery store.”
Keeping workers is also a burden. Nakashima said he has lost several employees who moved away to states with a lower cost of living.
“And live on their own and not be at home or with three or four other of our cooks or servers,” he said. “It’s a real crisis in Hawaii now. Every business owner I speak to tells me the same thing. They cannot get enough workers.”
Insurance prices are another area where local eateries are feeling the pinch.
“Workman’s comp, anywhere from 5 to 20% going up. General liability just went up. Just overall insurance costs, everything keeps going up. It’s like, I don’t know what’s going on,” said ShoreFyre Grill & Skybox Taphouse owner Allen Farinas.
Below is a list of Hawaii restaurants that have closed their doors for good in 2025:
- All Outback’s
- Little Village Noodle House
- Piggy Smalls
- Angelo Pietro
- Chuck’s Cellar
- Hellenic Kitchen
- Nam Fong
- Pah Ke’s Chinese Restaurant
- Pauoa Chop Suey
- Restaurant Do-ne
- Tenkaippin
- D.K. Steakhouse
- Sansei Seafood Restaurant
- Chronic Tacos
- Sorabol
Owners said the raise in minimum wage to $16 at the start of 2026 means customers might see some changes.
“Please don’t even mention January 1st! Minimum wage goes up by $2,” Farinas said. “So we’re going to have to raise some prices, and that’s a sad and scary thing. You know, we’re just going to try to survive.”
Restaurants are generally not as busy as pre-pandemic times, owners said they are doing everything they can to market online and inside their four walls.
“Like, of course we’re always doing that stuff already, but we’re really hustling now,” Farinas said. “Maybe even trying to, ‘Hey, do you want to have a avocado on that?’”
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“I respect the fact that a lot of people do not have money and do not, aren’t able to go out like they used to,” Nakashima said. “But for those of the people that do have the ability to go out, support local!”