PONO HAWAIIAN GRILL LLC
Pono Hawaiian Grill LLC operates two Hawaiian-style street food restaurants in Santa Cruz and Capitola, California, serving poke bowls, teriyaki, craft beer, and live entertainment to local consumers and corporate catering clients. The company also sells branded apparel online via Shopify with print-on-demand fulfillment.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersSanta Cruz, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What PONO HAWAIIAN GRILL LLC does
Pono Hawaiian Grill LLC is a privately held, founder-operated restaurant company headquartered in Santa Cruz, California, that operates two Hawaiian-style street food locations under two trade names — "Pono Hawaiian Grill" (120 Union Street, Downtown Santa Cruz) and "Capitola Kitchen & Tap" (3744 Capitola Rd, Capitola). The business serves local consumers and tourists with authentic Hawaiian cuisine including poke bowls, teriyaki bowls, musubi, and island-style entrees, alongside catering for corporate meetings and private events of 15+ guests, craft beer and cocktails (including 16 taps at the Capitola bar), live music programming featuring Hawaiian artists, and live sports viewing across 11 big-screen TVs.
The underlying technology stack is entirely composed of standard SMB SaaS: ToastTab powers direct online ordering for both pickup and delivery, Shopify runs the branded e-commerce apparel storefront, and SPOD (Spreadshirt Print-on-Demand) handles merchandise printing and fulfillment with USPS shipping. There is no proprietary technology, AI/ML infrastructure, or in-house platform development visible.
The business generates revenue from three primary streams: in-restaurant food and beverage transactions (dine-in, takeout, delivery), corporate and private catering engagements (transactional, per-event pricing on tiered Ekahi, Elua, Ekolu packages), and direct-to-consumer merchandise sales through the Shopify storefront (t-shirts $18-$35, hoodies $27-$65, hats $22-$30, accessories from $5). The company monetizes within a single local California geography with no institutional investment or parent company ownership indicated, and operates with a lean 9-employee headcount across both physical locations and the e-commerce operation.
PONO HAWAIIAN GRILL LLC firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- PONO HAWAIIAN GRILL LLC
- Legal name
- Pono Hawaiian Grill LLC
- Website
- https://ponohawaiiangrill.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Pono Hawaiian Grill LLC operates two Hawaiian-style street food restaurants in Santa Cruz and Capitola, California, serving poke bowls, teriyaki, craft beer, and live entertainment to local consumers and corporate catering clients. The company also sells branded apparel online via Shopify with print-on-demand fulfillment.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
PONO HAWAIIAN GRILL LLC industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Hawaiian Restaurant & Catering Services
- NAICS
- Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Ethnic & Regional Cuisine Restaurants (THAFACAD)
Keywords
Where PONO HAWAIIAN GRILL LLC is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Santa Cruz
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
PONO HAWAIIAN GRILL LLC business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Food and Beverage Sales: Revenue from dine-in, takeout, and delivery orders of Hawaiian-style street food including poke bowls, teriyaki bowls, and other island cuisine at two restaurant locations.
- Catering Services: Corporate and private event catering services providing Hawaiian-style pupus, salads, poke, and entrees for gatherings of 15+ people. Offers customizable menus and delivery.
- Merchandise/Apparel Sales: Online sales of branded apparel including t-shirts ($20-$35), hoodies ($45-$65), hats ($22-$30), and accessories through their Shopify e-commerce store. Products include print-on-demand items like the Sasha Kine Collection.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | T-shirts ranging from $18.35 to $35 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Hoodies ranging from $27.37 to $65 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Hats ranging from $22 to $30 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Accessories starting at $5 |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
PONO HAWAIIAN GRILL LLC product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pono Hawaiian Grill operates two physical Hawaiian-style street food restaurants in Santa Cruz and Capitola, California, serving fresh poke bowls, teriyaki bowls, musubi, and island entrees based on recipes from the founder's home island of Maui. The business also provides catering services for corporate and private events of 15+ guests, and runs a Shopify-powered e-commerce store selling branded apparel such as t-shirts, hoodies, hats, and accessories.
Product overview
Pono Hawaiian Grill LLC operates as a dual-location Hawaiian-style street food restaurant and e-commerce merchandise retailer. The core offering consists of authentic island cuisine including fresh poke bowls, teriyaki bowls and sandwiches, and catering services featuring Hawaiian entrees. The business extends through a Shopify-powered online apparel store selling branded merchandise including t-shirts, hoodies, hats, trucker caps, stickers, and accessories under the Pono Hawaiian Grill Apparel sub-brand and the Sasha Kine Collection. Additional offerings include live music entertainment, sports viewing with multiple TVs, and craft beer/cocktail service at both Downtown Santa Cruz (120 Union Street) and Capitola Kitchen & Tap (3744 Capitola Rd) locations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Hawaiian Street Food Restaurant Service Authentic Hawaiian-style street food served at two Santa Cruz locations, offering dine-in, takeout, and delivery of poke bowls, teriyaki bowls, musubi, and island-style entrees with recipes from Maui.
- Catering Services Island-style catering for corporate meetings, employee appreciation events, holiday parties, and birthdays, featuring pupus, salads, poke, and Hawaiian entrees designed for groups of 15+ people, with Ekahi, Elua, and Ekolu package options.
- Live Music and Entertainment Programming Live Hawaiian and island music events, Aloha Fridays, karaoke, and trivia nights featuring artists such as Willie K, Maoli, John Cruz, Makana, Led Kaapana, George Kahumoku, and Andy Bumatai at both restaurant locations.
- Pono Hawaiian Grill Apparel Collection Online-only branded apparel collection including t-shirts, hoodies, tank tops, hats, trucker caps, and accessories featuring Pono Hawaiian Grill branding and Hawaiian-inspired designs, sold via the Shopify store and fulfilled through SPOD.
- Sasha Kine Collection Exclusive Pono-inspired apparel collection designed by Sasha Kine, featuring women's cropped tees, travel bags, and unique Pono-branded items sold through the online store.
- Gift Cards Gift cards available for purchase at both Downtown Santa Cruz and Capitola Kitchen & Tap restaurant locations, redeemable for food and beverages.
- Pono Hawaiian Foods Online Shop Curated Hawaiian food products available through a separate online shop linked from the Pono Hawaiian Grill website.
Companies that use PONO HAWAIIAN GRILL LLC
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
PONO HAWAIIAN GRILL LLC technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
PONO HAWAIIAN GRILL LLC partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- ToastTabcoreOnline ordering platform integration for both restaurant locations, enabling customers to place pickup and delivery orders directly through the Pono Hawaiian Grill website and dedicated location URLs.
- SPOD (Spreadshirt Print-on-Demand)corePrint-on-demand partner for merchandise production and shipping, handling all apparel printing and fulfillment for the Pono Hawaiian Grill online store.
- ShopifycoreE-commerce platform powering the online merchandise store, providing the storefront, shopping cart, and checkout functionality for branded apparel sales.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
PONO HAWAIIAN GRILL LLC competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
PONO HAWAIIAN GRILL LLC social profiles
Digital presencePONO HAWAIIAN GRILL LLC financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
PONO HAWAIIAN GRILL LLC leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
PONO HAWAIIAN GRILL LLC funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
PONO HAWAIIAN GRILL LLC M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about PONO HAWAIIAN GRILL LLC
What does PONO HAWAIIAN GRILL LLC do?
Pono Hawaiian Grill operates two physical Hawaiian-style street food restaurants in Santa Cruz and Capitola, California, serving fresh poke bowls, teriyaki bowls, musubi, and island entrees based on recipes from the founder's home island of Maui. The business also provides catering services for corporate and private events of 15+ guests, and runs a Shopify-powered e-commerce store selling branded apparel such as t-shirts, hoodies, hats, and accessories.
Is PONO HAWAIIAN GRILL LLC a public or private company?
PONO HAWAIIAN GRILL LLC is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was PONO HAWAIIAN GRILL LLC founded?
PONO HAWAIIAN GRILL LLC was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is PONO HAWAIIAN GRILL LLC based?
PONO HAWAIIAN GRILL LLC is headquartered in Santa Cruz, United States, in the North America region.
How does PONO HAWAIIAN GRILL LLC make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Food and Beverage Sales are the primary driver. The others are catering Services and merchandise/Apparel Sales.
Does PONO HAWAIIAN GRILL LLC have an API?
No public API is recorded for PONO HAWAIIAN GRILL LLC.
What industry is PONO HAWAIIAN GRILL LLC in?
PONO HAWAIIAN GRILL LLC's product category is Hawaiian Restaurant & Catering Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFACAD, Ethnic & Regional Cuisine Restaurants. Its NAICS code is 722511 and its SIC code is 5810.