HONOLULU (KHON2) - Employees of three newly closed restaurants, as well as the state, were entitled to 60-days' advance notification of the closures. That's according to State Labor Director Scott Murakami. Instead, Gokoku Sushi at Koko Marina, Tempura Ichidai and the often-packed Cafe Lani at Ala Moana Center, closed abruptly over the weekend.
Japan-based parent company Pierthirty USA has now been in touch with the state. Murakami expects to receive after-the-fact notification by Thursday, along with contact information for employees. They will be contacted by the department, about help with unemployment insurance applications, retraining, or other services, but Murakami says former workers can take the lead.
“If you were impacted by this closure, come down to our Punchbowl office, or go out to our Dillingham office. All of our staff has been notified about the situation.”
The restaurant business is among the most challenging. An estimated 50 percent of new restaurants will close within the first six months.
So while the closures surprised customers, from a business standpoint it wasn't a surprise when doors closed after a couple of years -- though the exact reason is still unclear.
Another Japan-based restaurant company, Diamond Dining International Corp., opened Shokudo Japanese in 2005, Buho Cocina y Cantina in 2014 and Bread + Butter in 2015. We asked Vice President Michael Nishi about the challenges of opening and operating a restaurant in Hawaii. He says staffing is among the biggest issues, since generally restaurants can't offer the same pay and benefits as hotels.
“So what we have to do, is give more opportunities to learn, give more opportunity to improve themselves, those kind of things, to maintain great people on the staff. That's what we're trying to do right now.”
And with the recent restaurant boom, staffing woes have only increased.
Add rising food costs, shipping costs, increases in minimum wage, energy, water and sewer bills and the typical restaurant profit margin is in the single digits.
https://www.khon2.com/news/local-news/employees-of-closed-restaurants-to-get-state-help/1721781375 2019-01-24 08:31:00Z
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