Since the earliest wave of the restaurant boom in the U.S. mainland over the last half century, Hawaii has seen a small percentage of the big name restaurant groups trying to develop over seas to capitalize off of Hawaii's big time dining out market. It wasn't until many years later that Hawaii became a potential hotspot for mainstream culinary diversity. Only within the last 15 years or so has Hawaii become a target for "major mainland marketing." Remember after the clever marketing, its still all about the food!
Remember when Planet Hollywood first opened in Waikiki? Or how about when the Red Lobster and Out Back Steakhouse first opened? These are some examples of the large concept restaurant boom in Hawaii. Almost anywhere and with anything, marketing plays one of the biggest parts in the formula for success, period. Millions of dollars are spent on marketing between competing companies every year. For some of these restaurants it seems almost more important than the food. With that said, is the food itself worth the hype to the Hawaii consumers?
A good friend of ours, and an expert in the food industry, once told us that many restaurants regardless of their food actually being good rely heavily on good or great marketing. For us, being food service professionals, this seemed like an almost backwards concept.
So if the story is better than the food, should we be ok with that concept? Traditionally, two things seem to motivate us to eat out logistically more than anything else. It again comes back to basic marketing or branding. These highly motivational means of influence would be a big television ad campaign (commercials), or hearing about a restaurant from a friend that actually ate there, or saw it on television too. People tend to buy what they conveniently remember. Even driving by a restaurant might not peak enough interest to actually go inside and buy something. Marketing is an unusual tool and we rarely question its validity.
Should we question a restaurants marketing validity? Why not? We all probably have seen many eateries that look and sound good in more ways than one, but have less than average food. Admit it! Once in a great while you might find eateries with poor or no marketing, but with great food. In those unusual situations, they are most commonly known as a "hole in the wall." Has anyone tried Ray's Café in Kalihi for example? They have great food but almost no advertising. But let's save Felix's place for a future article.
To think clever marketing persuades us to spend our money regardless of food quality makes us concerned. Also most people have unfortunately grown to accept it. Since there are no "official" governing rating systems that educate us about the food industry as consumers, it seems that we are left to fend for ourselves in the pursuit of culinary satisfaction and education. Are people going to continuously be misguided by random opinion or tricky marketing? Not if the Chef Crew can help it!
Interestingly enough we chose to visit and critique Chili's Grill & Bar in Kapolei.
One might ask why Chili's? We say why not? Its not that Chili's is new or is the most popular name of casual dining, but we collectively wanted to put its namesake, marketing and food to the test.
If anyone were to profile a big corporate restaurant like Chili's, you might assume its menu and food is proven good and idiot proof, its service is structured with extensive trainers and upheld by management, and its management top notch receiving constant regional protocols on performance and operations. Right? Well let's see…
Our Mood: Not Rated.
If you've followed our last article, this is newly added criteria. Mood factor is basically our inclination or craving for a kind of food at that particular time. So at this point we were down for some good old American classic/south western eats. Plus we were in the area after a bruising 18 holes of golf at the Coral Creek golf course. We were tired, sun burnt, parched, starving and optimistic.
Overall Experience: Average - 2 Stars **
Walking into Chili's we were thinking that a big restaurant chain like this would be "comforting," as in not lacking in any certain area of food service. It slowly turned out to be more of a mom and pop store/hole in the wall where you'd start to think you might have to serve yourself! We also thought the food itself had tons of potential since the big time television ads made everything look so good. But we were wrong about that too. Based on our experience from start to finish, if we were desperate, we might go back to Chili's Kapolei.
Value: Average - 2 Stars **
Between the three of us, we ordered three appetizers, three entrees and three drinks. Basically one of each item per guy. The bill came out to about $100 dollars. We weren't shocked because we knew what the individual cost per item was, but this was lunch, and when we looked at what we got for the amount we paid, it just seemed a bit steep. If you're hungry, don't expect to pay for a cheap lunch at Chili's. I guess higher prices mean more marketing dollars for them.
Price Point: Average - 2 Stars **
Everything seemed to be on the high side ranging from over $7 for appetizers and $16 for a chicken Caesar salad. The steaks and ribs were all about $20 or more, and the tilapia ($15) was more expensive than the ahi ($12). That’s a little weird.
Service: Average - 2 Stars **
The first thing we did after we got seated was to read the menu and that’s what we continued to do for the next long 15 minutes. No service. No water. No orders. Nothing. We tried to hail the highly visible waitress about 12 feet away in the adjacent "section," but she didn't even flinch. She just kept talking story to her table. That was nice of her. Since she was definitely close enough, we should have just thrown our menus at her. Maybe then we could have got a response. Here's some advice for any and all food service wait staff, even if its not your section, if someone needs help, just help them! "Sections" are designed to expedite and concentrate service flow, but not to ignore other restaurant patrons. We ended up waiting for so long, we decided to call the restaurant from within the restaurant on a cell phone. Sassy and clever huh? That was the only way we could get anyone's attention. Later we found out that our caring hostess accidentally sat us in a closed section of the nearly empty enormous restaurant. The young lady that became our new waitress was kind and pleasant. She literally saved the possibility of us walking out, writing a corporate complaint and she saved Chili's from getting a below average (one star) rating for service in this section.
Ambience: Good - 3 Stars ***
From the colorful and approachable "family look" on the outside of the restaurant to the clean and organized interior, Chili's has got a good look to it. While dining we experienced pleasant lighting, decorative plants and a modern atmosphere.
Comfort: Good - 3 Stars ***
The seating areas offered are traditional double booths or single stools over in the bar area. The booth bench seats are nicely padded and the tables, tastefully tiled, are set to a decent eating height. However, depending on how you are built and how much food you order, these booths maybe a little on the small side. This caused a bit of a space compromise when all the food came one after another. Other than that, the strong ample air conditioning system was a blessing after being scorched outside in the unforgiving west side sun.
Capacity: Great - Four Stars ****
One thing for sure is that these concept restaurants plan to attract a good amount of customers based on capacity (about 150+ each), thanks to their aggressive marketing campaigns. Most Chili's locations have large stand-alone establishments, meaning it occupies it’s own free-standing building and has no adjacent shared tenants in their immediate area. With this in mind, a restaurant this size can handle multiple turnovers. This allows people who are waiting in line a good chance of eating within maybe 30 minutes or less, even at a full house capacity.
Parking: Good - 3 Stars ***
The marketplace at Kapolei boasts huge amounts of free parking. Chili's being an anchor tenant of the marketplace shares the farthest Diamond Head side area, which has many parking stalls dedicated to restaurant patrons.
Menu: Good - 3 Stars ***
Chili's has everything covered when it comes to freedom of choice. Choose from salads, soups, combos, chicken, steaks, ribs, seafood, custom quesadillas, burgers, sandwiches and a whole mess of fried appetizers. They also showcase creative desserts and an impressive soft drink and liquor selection. Check out their menu and promotions online at www.chilis.com
Culinary Execution: Average- 2 Stars **
One thing about large corporate restaurant chains and/or franchises is that you hope its food service system is idiot proof. No disrespect to anyone individually, but some of our own colleagues at one point worked for Chili's before and have attested that there is, potentially, a large margin for error in the kitchen. Needless to say, no matter how strong a system is in any restaurant anywhere, things still get burnt, taste wrong, get soggy and get cold. The food we ate that day was no exception to some of these culinary mishaps. Our steaks were perfectly cooked, however it tasted bitter, probably from an overactive unadjusted propane valve on the grill. The tostada chips served with the hot spinach and artichoke dip were excessively over salted and the Caesar salad was poorly prepped with huge chunks of sloppily cut romaine lettuce. Other than that, our other appetizers consisting of the Triple Dipper "sampler" and Texas cheese fries were actually very good. Chili's almost scored 3 stars for culinary execution, but when 4 out of 6 dishes are not par quality to the prices charged, they unfortunately end up missing it by a horse hair.
Stats and Information (411): Not rated.
Name - Chili's Grill and Bar (Restaurant)
Location - 590 Farrington Highway Kapolei, Hawaii 96707
Telephone number - (808) 693-8722
Payment options - Cash and credit card
Hours - 11am-10pm mon-thurs & sun. 11am-11pm fri-sat
Reservations - None
Type of Restaurant - Southwest/American classic
Attire - Casual
Website - www.chilis.com
Chef Norlan's Recipe Pick
Easy "Wailua" Crispy Country Fried Chicken Bites w/ Farmers Mushroom Gravy and "Hanalei" Pan Roasted Red Potato Salad w/ Fresh Corn and Baby Green Beans.
Substitute any ingredients for preferable or seasonal purposes.
Single portion/short form recipe follows:
"Wailua" Crispy Country Fried Chicken Bites
- 8 ounces chicken thigh meat de-boned and cubed bite sized
- 3 ounces all purpose flour
- 1 egg
- 2 ounces water
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 pinch each of dried oregano, thyme, rosemary and sage
- 1 tsp salt
- Canola oil
In a medium mixing bowl, mix the egg with the water to make an egg wash. Next, combine dry mix ingredients-flour, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper, dried herbs and salt in a separate bowl. Toss cubed chicken meat in egg wash and coat liberally. Transfer egg washed chicken into the dry mix bowl. Drip off any excess egg wash before transfer from wet to dry mix. Toss evenly. Deep fry breaded chicken pieces loosely on medium high heat for about 6 minutes or until golden brown in a medium deep frying vessel. Let cooked chicken rest evenly on a plate with paper towel.
Farmers Mushroom Gravy
- ½ can of cream of mushroom soup
- ½ packet of dry brown gravy mix
- 2 oz. water
- 2 oz. button mushrooms diced
- 2 oz. fresh cream
- 1 oz. white wine
- 1 tbsp whole butter
- 1 tsp fresh garlic
- ½ tsp black pepper
In a sauce pan over medium heat, combine everything except brown gravy mix, water and the butter. Bring the combined ingredients up to a simmer and stir occasionally.
In a small bowl, mix the brown gravy mix with the water thoroughly breaking up any chunks or lumps. Add the brown gravy mix to the simmering ingredients in the pan and allow a gentle boil continuously stirring. Once the mixture has thickened, turn off the heat and continue stirring while adding in the butter. Keep covered.
"Hanalei" Pan Roasted Red Potato Salad w/ Fresh Corn and Baby Green Beans
- 6 oz. red potatoes rinsed and quartered
- 1 fresh corn cob boiled quickly for 3 minutes, then trimmed of its kernels
- 2 oz. young green beans boiled for 3 minutes, then cooled in iced water, then pat dry
- 6 oz. chicken broth
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp fresh garlic
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tbsp fresh minced parsley
- salt and black pepper to taste
In a medium pan over medium high heat sauté potato quarters in canola oil until browned, then add garlic and lightly brown. Next add dried basil and half of the minced parsley to the sautéed ingredients. Toss evenly making sure not to burn anything. Immediately add the chicken broth and cover for several minutes until the ingredients has reached a rolling simmer. Check every few minutes to see if potatoes become tender to a chopstick poke or if liquid is completely evaporated before then, just add a little water to continue the cooking. If the liquid is completely gone and the potatoes are just tender that is the perfect doneness. Continue to let the potatoes remain on the heat to dry them out and re-brown the outsides but do not burn them. Once they look "re-browned" then transfer them to a mixing bowl to cool slightly and add the trimmed corn kernels and the prepared green beans. To those items in the mixing bowl, add the lemon juice, olive oil and the salt and pepper. Toss evenly.
Plate up with a simple rustic mound of the fried chicken on one side of the plate, then ladle the warm gravy generously over the chicken. Next to that, mound the red potato salad and sprinkle the other half of the minced parsley over the entire dish. Enjoy!
Chef Norlan's Extended Summer Sushi Specials:
Standard Hand Roll Sushi Bar
$8 / person *(minimum 100 pax)
Spicy Tuna, Crab, Tuna Salad, Veggie, Lobster Salad
Deluxe Standard Hand Roll Sushi Bar
$12 / person BEST PRICE POINT, BEST SELECTION!
Spicy Tuna, Crab, Tuna Salad, Veggie, Lobster Salad, Ikura, Tobikko, Natto, Ume. Ahi Poke, Scallop Mayo
Full Standard Sushi Bar *****
$15 / person THE ORIGINAL & BEST SELLER! *****
Maguro, Hamachi, Salmon, Ebi, Lobster Salad, Tuna Salad, Spicy Tuna, California
Ultra Deluxe Hand Roll Sushi Bar
$18 / person MOST POPULAR CHOICE FOR HAND ROLLS ONLY!
Spicy Tuna, Crab, Tuna Salad, Veggie, Lobster Salad, Ikura, Tobikko, Natto, Ume. Ahi Poke, Scallop Salad, Hari Zuke, Smoked Salmon, Tako Poke, Unagi, Kinoko Mushroom
Supreme Hand Roll Sushi Bar (Summer Special Only)
$25 / person *(minimum 100 pax) BEST VALUE! WOW!
Spicy Tuna, Crab, Tuna Salad, Veggie, Lobster Salad, Ikura, Tobikko, Natto, Ume. Ahi Poke, Scallop Salad, Hari Zuke, Smoked Salmon, Tako Poke, Unagi, Kinoko Mushroom,
Kalbi, Abalone Salad, Corn Mayo, Soft Shell Crab, Shrimp Tenpura, Spicy Shrimp Poke
Full Deluxe Sushi Bar
$25 / person BEST VALUE FOR FULL SUSHI BAR SELECTIONS!
Full Standard + Unagi, Tako Poke, Ikura, Tobikko, Tamago, Ahi Poke, Scallop Salad
Full Ultra Deluxe Sushi Bar
$40 / person MOST POPULAR UPGRADE IN FULL SUSHI BAR SELECTION!
Full Deluxe + Chu Toro in place of Maguro, Moi, Shrimp Tempura, Soft Shell Crab, Natto, Ume, Abalone Salad
* All items on the menu may be substituted due to season, weather and availability.
Global Foods Inc. / Sushi Supreme
Live Sushi Bar Catering Menu
Contact: Executive Chef / Corporate Partner Norlan Horita (808) 620–5863
Chef Shannon's coupon corner:
Have your gourmet salad and sushi too! Let's Eat! and the Chefs Crew offers its readers a healthy combo to eat well and keep looking good this summer. Thanks for reading and we hope to continue to bring you informative and entertaining columns along with delectable culinary specials!
-Aloha, The Chef Crew.
