Hard Rock Cafe moving location after 20 years

[helen]

Re: Hard Rock Cafe moving location after 20 years

Currently the place that used to be the Hard Rock Café is now a Honolulu Coffee Experience Center, before that it was place called Makino according to Google Maps street capture as of Aug 2011.

Depending on the people who you talk to you some will remember it as Coco (I remember eating there when I first moved into the area back in 1981), others might remember as the Hard Rock Café (been there a few times in the mid to late 1990's), never been there when it was Makino, but I have been to the Honolulu Coffee Experience Center over 10 times (since late 2018), because I now I got free coffee for buying their coffee while having pancakes and sausages there.

Also I won't be surprised if there was another place in that location between the times Makino and Honolulu Coffee Experience Center was operating there.

[D'Alani]

Re: Hard Rock Cafe moving location after 20 years

Wasn't that Diner's one block makai? (on the block that currently houses Sam's Club?) I remember it being on the same block as Comotronics (which was on Rycroft.)

Garry

I think that Diners was located where McDonalds is.

[gchun]

Re: Hard Rock Cafe moving location after 20 years

It was a branch of DINER'S DRIVE-INN (the original location is in Kalihi on North King St., Diamond Head of Waikamilo). There was also one on Keeaumoku, which was displaced by the HMSA building.

Before Coco's, I believe it was called KOW KOW KORNER.

Wasn't that Diner's one block makai? (on the block that currently houses Sam's Club?) I remember it being on the same block as Comotronics (which was on Rycroft.)

Garry

[cezanne]

Re: Hard Rock Cafe moving location after 20 years

I'm sure this is the same one and I'm not remembering it's location correctly 'cuz the few times I was there was always after 2am!

GASP! Yer talkin bout Arirang's!?! jk

I remember Diner's at that corner too tho I never ate there. I remember the gas station too... I think it was Chevron then it turned into some generic self-serve gas station... we used to put gas before cruising into Waikiki from country.

[GeckoGeek]

Re: Hard Rock Cafe moving location after 20 years

Dang. All this talk about the Beretania, Kalakaua and Young block is getting to me. I barely remember it. About all I remember is that I had to walk around something on the Beretania end to get to Subway.

Odd that I don't remember the Chevron station since I usually buy Chevron. Either the station was closed for a long time or was really run-down looking. Sure it wasn't a 76?

But getting back to "hard to remember", that's why I try to take photos of things I know are going away. It irks me to know that a building is only a few years old but I can't remember what used to be on that site before.

As for the old Dinner's site, one if it's last uses was a campaign headquarters. Fairly prominent politician.

[Kalihiboy]

Re: Hard Rock Cafe moving location after 20 years

I've seen pictures of a press conference Bon Jovi had there one time, might have been the concert they did here in 1987 or 1988.

Aj

[tvguy]

Re: Hard Rock Cafe moving location after 20 years

Yes...I remember the restaurant was one of several businesses within that complex. Didn't that small plaza encompass Beretania, Kalakaua and Young? I think the restaurant was kind of mid-block.

Wasn't there a Dairy Queen in there before as well?

And the Diner's "Cheeseburger Special" was perfect for a kid on a high school budget, which is basically a couple bucks and coins in your pocket. I'm Filipino, so I can tease, because everytime I ordered it, the girl at the counter said into the mike to order, "Chiss-burrrga" (Gotta roll the 'r' in Burger"

Getting back to Hard Rock, I remembered when it opened and the very first band to play there was Crowded House.

[tutusue]

Re: Hard Rock Cafe moving location after 20 years

As I remember it, the coffee shop was on the mauka end of the plaza, closer to Beretania and adjacent to the Chevron station.[...]

I'm sure this is the same one and I'm not remembering it's location correctly 'cuz the few times I was there was always after 2am!

[D'Alani]

Re: Hard Rock Cafe moving location after 20 years

It was a branch of DINER'S DRIVE-INN (the original location is in Kalihi on North King St., Diamond Head of Waikamilo). There was also one on Keeaumoku, which was displaced by the HMSA building.

Before Coco's, I believe it was called KOW KOW KORNER.

Kau Kau Korner and there was a Kau Kau Jr. where Nimitz Hwy splits if you're going diamond head. Wow as goin back some.

[oceanpacific]

Re: Hard Rock Cafe moving location after 20 years

As I remember it, the coffee shop was on the mauka end of the plaza, closer to Beretania and adjacent to the Chevron station. The menu was similar to those of Columbia Inn, Flamingo, Kenny's, and King's Bakery Coffee Shop.

[tutusue]

Re: Hard Rock Cafe moving location after 20 years

Wasn't there one on the mauka/ewa corner of Kalakaua and Young or King? Or was I eating breakfast illegally at 2am?!

I don't recall the name, but one you're thinking of is probably the coffee shop near the BERETANIA-KALAKAUA corner in the Midtown Shopping Plaza.[...]

Yes...I remember the restaurant was one of several businesses within that complex. Didn't that small plaza encompass Beretania, Kalakaua and Young? I think the restaurant was kind of mid-block.

[oceanpacific]

Re: Hard Rock Cafe moving location after 20 years

I know the restaurant I'm thinking of wasn't a drive-in. It was a casual diner/coffee shop thingie, with booths. There were removable partitions between booths to allow for larger parties. I'm remembering late 1980s...the good ol' days when I could stay up that late!

I don't recall the name, but one you're thinking of is probably the coffee shop near the BERETANIA-KALAKAUA corner in the Midtown Shopping Plaza. That used to also house DATA-1 Computers, Subway, Hibachi Hut. The Chevron station on the corner also sold Christmas trees and was owned by Richard Tajiri (?). That site is now a condo for senior housing.

The parcel across Young Street (KING-KALAKAUA) was a gas station and also housed DINER'S and, at one time, PRECISION TUNE. My brother worked at Precision Tune when they went belly-up. He had to wait awhile to get his paycheck through bankruptcy court.

[tutusue]

Re: Hard Rock Cafe moving location after 20 years

[...]And now that I think about it, at one point in time it was two eatries there. Dinners as a take out and some other place that had the regular sit down restaurant type close to the King Street side of the building which of course is drawing a blank on my memory as to the name of that business.

I know the restaurant I'm thinking of wasn't a drive-in. It was a casual diner/coffee shop thingie, with booths. There were removable partitions between booths to allow for larger parties. I'm remembering late 1980s...the good ol' days when I could stay up that late!

[Honoruru]

Re: Hard Rock Cafe moving location after 20 years

On King and Kalaukaua, there was a Diner's, but I think it was an offshoot of the Diner's on Keeaumoku when it closed. It might have had a slightly different name, or another name entirely, but I believe it was related to the closing of the Keeaumoku Diner's. My memory is hazy about this, but the restaurant was definitely short-lived. I had completely forgotten about this corner until reading Tutusue post about this. God, how I hate growing old!

[helen]

Re: Hard Rock Cafe moving location after 20 years

Okay my memory is that bad such that I am mispelling Diners as Dinners.