Are your Hawaii restaurant plans changing? Take note.
61 thoughts on “Hawaii Restaurants: Capacity, Staffing, Security Struggles + Death of Roy’s-Trained Chef”
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Home » Blog » Hawaii Travel Tips » Hawaii Restaurants: Capacity, Staffing, Security Struggles + Death of Roy’s-Trained Chef
My daughter and I just spent 7 wonderful days on Maui. Thanks to information on BOH, we (both fully vaccinated & also tested just to be sure) registered and received pre clearance from the State and had excellent direction from United in SFO to obtain wristbands that allowed us to exit Kahalui without stopping. Car rental through Costco/Avis was at a normal price (again thanks to BOH for recommending checking and rebooking shortly before departure) and the Avis app made it easy to choose our car and go without waiting in a line. We stayed in a short-term condo rental on Sugar Beach. It was pricey, but given that airfares are low (we actually used miles and ended up paying nothing) and that car rental was normal price, we felt it all evened out in the end. Having 2 bedrooms/2 bathrooms, a full kitchen, a lanai with a perfect ocean view, a beach 50 feet away and free parking made it far, far less expensive than a hotel room or two. Since we’ve been to the Island many times before, we stayed low key and mostly enjoyed the beach, and either cooked for ourselves or did takeout from small local restaurants. Everyone we did interact with, be it at a restaurant, a shop or with other travelers, was respectful, friendly and helpful. We were, too, so perhaps that’s the magic key? We didn’t witness any issues with mask wearing or producing vaccine cards anywhere we went. If planning your first trip and/or planning to do all the things and eat at all the restaurants, maybe this isn’t the best time to go for the pre-pandemic experience. However, if you simply want to relax, and have no problem putting on a mask or showing your vaccine card or following the rules and being respectful, then consider keeping your plans intact.
Hi Nancy.
Thanks. We appreciate your trip report and are happy to hear your Maui vacation was great.
Aloha.
Was in Kauai last week, had proof of vaccination, made reservations at an inexpensive restaurant and followed the rules. No problems dinner was excellent, service slow but good considering we only saw 1 service person. Thank you Tiki Iniki.
So on Mauai and Ohau you have to show proof of vaccine or test to eat, but to cook my food you don’t have to be vaccinated?
We seldom eat out, but have (vaccinated) family visiting, so we’ve been to restaurants. Always outdoors. Still concerning times.
Thank you for your local perspective.
Sad news, but thanks for the update! All this confirms that I made the right decision when I canceled our trip to Maui next month. We were booked at the Westin Maui and would have been heavily reliant on restaurants for all our meals. (So, sad about their chef too!) Normally, dining out at all the lovely restaurants is part of the fun of vacation, but who wants to witness a fight over public health measures whilst trying to enjoy an expensive meal. I do not have a problem showing proof of vaccine, but it’s not my idea of a fun, relaxing vacation. I will return to Hawaii when things look more normal. Stay safe, everyone!
By the way, there are only 39 passengers on our flight from Lihue to San Jose. Very empty plane.
As an often time visitor toy wife’s family in Kailua on this trip the restaurants we have visited are requiring vacation record, photo ID and the address we are staying at in Honolulu County.
Heading back over to mainland today after three great weeks on island. As I have commented before, the restaurant capacity limits and staff shortages need to be navigated, but we went out nearly every night if not hosting neighbors, and it works out.. just need extra patience and vigilance. The “no mingling” and “keep groups apart” rules are not always enforced. For example, if you manage to get a bar seat, and friends show up later, then “they came in with us” The capacity limit is based on the fire department limit, usually posted near the door. The mask theater is no big deal. Put it on when you stand, take off when you sit. Same as it ever was.
Aloha! We live on O’ahu. While I am in favor of vaccination, others in my family are not. Gettimg a COVID test in island is difficult and getting it returned in time to go to an establishment is almost impossible.
As such, we as a group cannot go to the movies, restaurants, gyms and more. While this is an inconvenience it has saved us some money to say the least. It sucks but these are first world problems. The folks I know who work at a nearby gym say the number of people is down significantly. One guy claims 50% and the other 90%. (Mind you, these are just people estimating.)
I would be curious as to what the actual data is on these establishments across the islands.
50% my ?. We were just there and every restaurant we went to on 3 islands were packed. Ain’t no 50% happening in Hawaii. Just sayin’.
Also I need to say this. I tipped really well while there tryingto help out the servers. Like really good. 40% at few places. A couple of tge tabs were almost $200.00 for two people.. I paid and handed the servers the little receipt holder to make certain they got the cash. Not one of them, 12 to be exact thanked me… so I don’t think people should be feeling that sorry for them. At all.
Unfortunately, you didn’t read Justin’s post all the way through. He said that the gyms were only 50% full. He said nothing about restaurants.
You are wrong. It is happening, perhaps not where you went but it is happening. I have been to several restaurants since the new rules went into effect on Sept 13, and all were 50%. In many cases establishments removed tables, so perhaps not visible to someone who doesn’t frequent the restaurant. And yes, some places will break the law and and serve more than 50% capacity, then be closed down for the violation. One I know of here already. My husband, son and step-daughter all work in restaurants on Oahu, all they are in are 50%.
I just got back from Honolulu last Friday. The new Covid vax card protocols went into effect while I was there. From my dining experiences there, in Kalakaua Ave restaurants, North Shore eateries and other places we ate in Hawaii Kai , it really wasn’t such a big deal. We showed our ID, showed our vax card and filled out a small contact tracing chit. That was it. I never saw any conflicts or tensions between employees and restaurant guests. That’s not to say it didn’t happen, but we never saw that during our entire stay.
It’s too bad that the chef decided not to get vaccinated, and he (and his fiancé) paid the price. How many more examples do folks need to see of anti-vaxxers dying of Covid before they get that this is real?
In closing, I am so glad we made the journey to Hawaii after all. It was an amazing trip. We supported local businesses. We were respectful visitors and conducted ourselves accordingly. It was hard to get on the plane headed back to the mainland.
Aloha Hawaii and Mahalo!🤙🏽
Hi Glenn.
Thanks for letting us know how your trip to Oahu went.
Aloha.