On Jan. 13, when Chubbies Burgers announced on Instagram it was closing its Kaimuki location — its final day of service is Feb. 1 — the internet seemed to explode. At the time of this article, the post has nearly 4,000 likes and 4.5K shares, with support from followers with comments like “We will visit you anywhere!” and “Chubbies forever!”
“This closure is due to Chubbies being unable to secure a lease renewal,” the post read. “We recently received news that, after lengthy lease negotiations for our Kaimuki space, we were unable to come up with an agreement with our landlords.”
Before you start mourning the loss of your beloved ’50s burger or teri deluxe, fear not — this isn’t the last of Chubbies, according to business owner Jeffrey Nedry.
“After Feb. 1, the company is retaining some of our key managers, and we plan to take this one step at a time,” he says. “Mostly, we are focused on opening a potential future Honolulu location later this year, but I can’t release any details yet. In the meantime, our team is seeking to continue operating by doing a six-to-eight-month pop-up. If we’re able to make that happen, we plan to try a few new things: still do amazing burgers with high-quality ingredients, but a more simplified concept with some new menu offerings.”
Chubbies Burgers opened its Kaimuki store in May 2022 — almost three years ago — according to Nedry, who remembers the transition from the business’s former location at Ward Village. The business began in 2016 and operated as a food truck for five years.
“When we first opened in Kaimuki, we had a pretty tight timeline to get the store open,” he says. “Back then, we were operating a food trailer at Ward Village, and we knew that we would have to move locations due to redevelopment. The Kaimuki restaurant (formerly occupied by Koko Head Cafe) came on the market and we knew it would be a perfect fit to move here. We brought most of our staff over, and from the time we closed the food trailer to reopening at the restaurant in Kaimuki, it had only been about two weeks.
“To be honest, we rushed and weren’t prepared; it wasn’t until six months later that the restaurant really started to come together with the menu, vibe, furniture and décor — and we started to gain a following in the neighborhood,” he adds.
The eatery’s bestsellers haven’t changed much since its food truck days, according to Nedry. The ’50s burger ($10.75), Chub fries ($7.50) and milkshakes ($7.75) continue to be customer favorites. The onion rings ($4.50 small, $7.75 regular size) and spicy chicken sandwich ($12) have also been popular at the Kaimuki location, Nedry says.
“Everything is made pretty simply, just using the best ingredients and prepared fresh,” he says. “We used a premium ground beef from Brandt Family Ranch that is flown in fresh just for us (never frozen). We use rice bran oil, which is trans-fat free and sustainable, for all of our fried items. We use a high-quality custard mix for our soft serve ice cream that is the base of all of our milkshakes. Our onion rings are handmade — and often sold out — and we even do a housemade cola!
“We’ve always prioritized quality, making things in house, and keeping things simple,” he says.
Chubbies Burgers will be open every day from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. until the closure, according to Nedry. On Feb. 1, the biz will open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. or until sold out.
“There may be days where we sell out of certain items or run out of product completely, as we have already started to see peak volume,” Nedry says. “We are doing our best to keep up with the demand to serve everyone. We kindly ask for everyone’s patience, as our team is doing their best in a super small kitchen. Yesterday, we served more than 700 burgers.”
As this chapter closes, Nedry wants to give a big “thank you” to all of Chubbies Burgers’ customers, followers and supporters over the years.
“My burger business has gone through many phases, and the community has always shown up to support us,” he says. “I also cannot thank my staff enough — our team has grown to nearly 35 employees and we’ve developed an amazing company culture I’m proud of. We hope to bring back many of the staff at our future ventures.”
CONTACT
Chubbies Burgers
1145C 12th Ave., Honolulu
chubbiesburgers.com
Instagram: @chubbieshawaii
Open daily, 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m.
Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.
