A Taste of Hawaii to close permanently at end of week
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POCATELLO -– A restaurant known for its authentic Hawaiian cuisine will close at the end of the week, meaning customers have a limited time to make one more visit.
A Taste of Hawaii, located in Station Square at 200 South Main St. in downtown Pocatello, will permanently close on Friday. This was confirmed both by a post made to the restaurant’s Facebook page and a statement from the restaurant’s attorney, Robert Knudsen.
“Mahalo to everyone who came out to see us over the last few days! We are so grateful for all the love and support our community has shown us over the last few days. We appreciate your patience with us during this time,” the post reads.
Knudsen attributed the closure to a recent court judgment.
“The decision to close has not been made lightly, but A Taste of Hawaii has determined it is financially untenable to continue business with the current litigation outcome and judgment,” the statement reads.
The lawsuit was initiated by restaurant owner Leilani Nino, who bought the restaurant in 2022, against previous owner Mark Cruse, who currently owns Kauai Ohana Grill.
Nino alleged that by opening Kauai Ohana Grill and using former A Taste of Hawaii recipes Cruse breached their contract and was improperly using proprietary information, but the judge ruled in Cruse’s favor.
Nino seemed to be an active member of the Pocatello business community, having received a Kindness Award last month, according to a post made to the restaurant’s Facebook page.
Another Facebook post shows that she won an Idaho’s Best award, her restaurant being voted best fast-casual in Idaho.
For its final week of operation, A Taste of Hawaii will operate under normal business hours, from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The restaurant’s final day of operation will be Friday.
“A Taste of Hawaii is grateful for the outpouring of support from the community, and is saddened that this chapter is coming to an end,” the statement reads.