The Flamingo Restaurant chain was founded in 1950 by Steven Nagamine, who bought the old Olympic Grill on Ala Moana Boulevard in 1950, changing the name to Flamingo. Very popular are the baked beef short ribs, oxtail soup and chicken cutlet. Lee has kept the “famous banana pie” and other 1960s favorites from the original Kapiolani Boulevard location (not the Chuckwagon), he said. He still employs the same cook, Tom Urbano, and baker Maximo Tagaban, who both worked for the franchise for 40 years. Lee said the cost of rent in Honolulu is too high these days for him to try to compete with other dine-in restaurants, so he’s sticking to fast-food takeout. A full plate was almost too heavy for a kid to carry, but there was always room for an endless amount of the Jell-O you could get with dinner! > Flamingo Express Waimalu: 98-820 Moanalua Road, 376-8388Ī prime rib buffet was the big draw, and diners were given big plates they could fill with sides like fried chicken and scalloped potatoes. > Flamingo Express at Moanalua 99: (former 99 Ranch Market), 1151 Mapunapuna St. > Flamingo Waianae: 85-910 Farrington Highway, 260-1298 It may seem hokey, but it offered a homeyness and made going out to dinner more like an adventure. Walking into the dimly lit interior was like stepping onto the set of an old western TV drama, walls lined with cattle ranch paintings, vintage wagon wheels and cowboy memorabilia. One of two Flamingo restaurants on Kapiolani Boulevard, the Chuckwagon was outfitted in Old West decor, a life-sized bronco at the door. In addition to a Flamingo Express at Moanalua 99 - the former 99 Ranch Market in Mapunapuna - two new outlets opened late last year in Waimalu and Waianae.īut they’re nothing like the Flamingo Chuckwagon that nostalgia buffs most fondly associate with the brand. The franchise is undergoing a revival headed by Kaygi Lee, who bought the company from the Nagamine family 10 years ago. Flamingo Restaurants, a family-owned franchise begun in 1950, was known for its comforting diner food and fruit pies, but the restaurants dwindled to just one fast-food counter by 2015, then faded away.
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