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Daily Smile

[{"type":"text","text":"When there’s no sheep to herd..."}]

Smile 26 5 3

<title>Daily Smile: Sunday, May 3, 2026</title>

When there’s no sheep to herd...

Daily Smile: Sunday, May 3, 2026

Christian Shimabuku Headshot

Christian Shimabuku

Sports

MĀNOA — The emotion was still fresh on Kaleo Baxter's face when asked to recall the program-altering announcement made less than 24 hours before he spoke to local media on Thursday afternoon. 

Citing a desire to spend more time with her family, 

Robyn Ah Mow announced she was stepping down as the program's head coach

 after nine years at the helm late Wednesday afternoon. In doing so, Ah Mow had to say goodbye to her other family — the same UH women's volleyball program where she was a two-time All-American setter after joining the 'Bows out of McKinley High School. 

Ah Mow elevated in the sport even further, becoming a three-time Olympian with the U.S. national team. After a handful of years as an assistant coach under former UH head coach Dave Shoji, she was named the program's head coach following his retirement, beginning in 2017. Ah Mow led the Rainbow Wahine to seven consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament and was named Big West Conference Coach of the Year three times. 

The Rainbow Wahine went 165-78 under Ah Mow, missing the Big West Tournament in what turned out to be her final season in 2025. Once Ah Mow decided volleyball was taking a backseat, the team was notified in an emotional meeting. 

Baxter, Ah Mow's former associate head coach, is now the program's interim head coach. As he discussed Wednesday's events, as well as what Ah Mow means to him, his eyes began to water and his nose reddened. 

"I think a lot of people's hearts are heavy right now," Baxter said on Thursday. "We've had a lot of conversations, a lot of tough conversations, over the course of the last couple weeks. I'm happy that she's choosing family for the first time in a very long time, because she's chosen this sport her entire life. What an icon, a complete legend, and what she's given to this university and to this sport is immeasurable."

Baxter's appointment of interim head coach comes during a hectic time in the calendar. The transfer portal for women's volleyball reopens on Friday, while the UH-Mānoa spring semester ends two weeks later on May 15, where players on the current roster are expected to disperse for the summer. 

"My priorities right now are making sure that this team stays unified and together, and just making sure that I'm taking care of all the logistics moving forward, so that whoever is named the next head coach can come in here with a seamless transition, and they can make tweaks to what they need but for the most part, that everything's kind of set and set in place so that they can hit the ground running the day step on campus," Baxter said. 

Shortly after Ah Mow's resignation announcement, the school announced a national search for the program's next head coach was imminent. The search is already underway. 

When asked if he has applied for the job or is planning to, Baxter said he preferred to play things close to the vest publicly. 

"I'll keep this decision close to my heart," Baxter said. "The people who I consider my inner circle, I'll let them know my decision on that, but I just know this program deserves a phenomenal coach, and I know that the administration is going to get one with whoever they hire."

Baxter, a 2005 graduate of Kaua‘i High School, was a volunteer assistant coach under Shoji from 2011 to 2014. After two years away in California, Baxter returned home in 2016 as the program's director of operations. When Ah Mow got the head job in 2017, she made Baxter one of the team's assistant coaches. Baxter and Ah Mow stayed loyal to each other over the years. Regardless of where the sport takes both of them next, they know they can lean on each other each step of the way. 

"I see her as mom, friend, family, sister, we've coached club together," Baxter said of Ah Mow. "It comes with a heavy heart knowing she's not going to be the head coach of the Rainbow Wahine, but the legacy she left here in this in this community, at this university and for this program, it's not anything that anyone's going to be able to match."

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Kaleo Baxter 043026

<title>Hawai‘i women's volleyball program carries on with heavy hearts following Robyn Ah Mow's…</title>

Former associate head coach Kaleo Baxter was named the program's interim head coach following Ah Mow's announcement to step down on Thursday.

Hawai‘i women's volleyball program carries on with heavy hearts following Robyn Ah Mow's resignation

Kam Napier Headshot

A. Kam Napier

Columnists

Government & Politics

The state Legislature’s attempt to overturn Citizens United, as it applies to Hawai‘i, keeps advancing. The latest step will be a hearing Wednesday, April 29, at 2:40 p.m., deferred from Monday and again from Tuesday as lawmakers tweak the wording of 

, “Relating to the powers of artificial persons.”

, the bill is an attempt to create a backdoor to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which held that it is unconstitutional to prohibit political spending by corporations. Doing so violates their First Amendment right to free speech.

That backdoor is being built on the fact that the states grant corporations the powers they have under law, so Hawai‘i, and about a dozen other states this year introduced nearly identical legislation — total coincidence, I’m sure! — to change those laws. Hawai‘i law, for example currently 

“[E]very corporation has … the same powers as an individual to do all things necessary or convenient to carry out its business and affairs…”

It then goes on to specify such powers as “to sue and be sued,” to own land, make contracts, lend money, “make donations for the public welfare or for charitable, scientific, or educational purposes,” and more.

SB 2471 would add language stating that corporations can keep on acting in every way like an individual with one new exception — no spending on political speech. From the bill’s latest version:

“[A]rtificial persons created under state law possess only those powers that are necessary or convenient to carry out lawful business and organizational purposes, and that those powers do not include the power to spend money or contribute anything of value to influence elections or ballot measures.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Why? Why is this even necessary?"}]

Well, for all the furor over this bill, the bill itself doesn’t really say.

Its defenders do say why they think it’s necessary in testimony and editorials, but their arguments are heavy on vague threats, light on evidence.

“Dark money is poisoning our democracy,” wrote state Rep. Della Au Belatti (D), District 26, and state Rep. Kanani Souza (R), District 43, 

The two make much of the fact that one of them is a Democrat, the other a Republican. They go on about the genius of this “genuinely historic” approach to “stop giving the corporations that operate on our Islands the power to spend in our politics.”

Please do read the whole thing and look not only at what they say, but what they don’t say.

They don’t name a single example of a specific corporation whose spending affected any election or ballot measure in Hawai‘i. Not one.

Perhaps in the House? Au Belatti spoke about the bill in an April 14 floor session (

, at 4:41:00). We’ve always had this power to redefine corporations, she said, and we must do so to “rein in undue influence of monies flowing from unlimited corporate treasuries that undermine our political process and has fueled voters’ distrust and disenchantment with government.”

She says that in Hawai‘i’s 2024 election, three PACs spent $13 million, whereas the candidates themselves spent only $10 million they raised directly from donors.

That $13 million, she said, “is the dark money that SB 2417 is striking at.”

But which PACs spent the money? On which candidates or issues? What did their spending achieve and how was Hawai‘i harmed? 

She didn't say. She won’t name the threat but does emphasize the “we’ve always had this power” argument, urging, “We need to be brave and take up this mantle and let this legislation move forward.”

OK. Citizens United was decided in 2010. Did Hawai‘i lawmakers have amnesia about their powers for the past 16 years? Or is it more accurate to say they’ve spent 16 years with their lawyers digging through the lawbooks looking for some way to try to outsmart the Supreme Court? Something tells me, if this was the obvious slam-dunk they’re making it out to be, state legislatures would’ve done this long ago, and Hawai‘i's current legislators wouldn't still be fussing with the draft. 

Since lawmakers won’t identify a single clear instance of “dark money” yielding a specific bad result for Hawai‘i, we have to guess at their target. Who is this bill trying to silence that the U.S. Supreme Court otherwise gave a voice to?

A little history lesson, because you might not remember who Citizens United was or what it wanted to do.

, a conservative 501(C)4 public policy nonprofit, founded in 1988. In 2007, the group wanted to take out advertisements telling people to watch a documentary it made, “

,” critical of Clinton as a presidential candidate. It challenged Federal Election Commission rules that would’ve prevented it from doing so.

The U.S. Supreme Court said it could go forward and Democrats, in particular, have hated this decision ever since.

The U.S. Supreme Court decision led to the creation of political action committees, PACs and Super PACs, which can spend money they raise on candidates and issues. These entities are not bound by the campaign donation limits set when one gives directly to a specific candidate. If you want to read a better criticism of “dark money” then than the one being made locally, check out 

this piece on Citizens United from the Brennan Center for Justice

There’s a lot going on here, a lot of complicated motivations and I don’t trust the people who won’t tell us who took the $35,000, and who won’t let us have real elections, when they say we need to take on the U.S. Supreme Court to protect democracy.

Maybe they don’t like seeing all that money spent independently, rather than getting donated to them.

[{"type":"text","text":"Maybe they don’t like that conservatives had a win."}]

Maybe they’re sacrificing the “dark money” they’ve benefitted from — there are plenty of progressive Super PACs that support Democrats, after all — because they are certain they have other kinds of corporations on their side.

Namely, the media. Search SB 2471 for “news” and it shows up 20 times. Example: “‘Election activity’ does not include any bona fide news story, commentary, or editorial distributed through the facilities of a broadcasting station or of any print, online, or digital newspaper, magazine, blog, or other periodical publication, unless the broadcasting, print, online, or digital facility is owned or controlled by a candidate, political committee, or political party.”

No one has said so, to my knowledge, but this may be the biggest vulnerability of SB 2471.

[{"type":"text","text":"Here’s the First Amendment:"}]

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

States, in turn, are bound by this as well. They also shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.

Remember, Citizens United made a documentary. From its preview, it’s a mix of clips from Clinton’s own speeches (reporting), close-ups of news headlines critical of Clinton (second-hand reporting) and commentary from political observers, including one Barack Obama.

In other words, it’s a “60 Minutes” segment, only one “60 Minutes” would never do.

If SB 2471 becomes law, I’d expect a PAC to take Hawai‘i to court demanding a clear explanation of why its reporting and editorializing in a documentary, an advertisement or a direct mail piece is any different than what I do here at Aloha State Daily in my column, or what Civil Beat does when it hosts an essay from the defenders of SB 2471, or what the Star-Advertiser does when it endorses candidates.

, for example, endorsed Kamala Harris for president, among other candidates in other races, and told voters how they ought to vote on State Constitution and City Charter amendments.

In the latest version of the bill, our lawmakers are arguing that this is OK, but identical speech from other groups structured as corporations is not.

Then there’s the convoluted language of “artificial persons,” and, again, I think our lawmakers are being too cute for their own good. They are arguing in the bill and in their testimony that they are not silencing the natural rights of individuals to speak, only that of “artificial persons.”

But they know perfectly well that corporate structures don’t just spring from the ground of their own accord, staffed by no one. They’re made of people, who have rights. Do those rights vanish because those people found it beneficial to incorporate? If so, then, again, one would have to wonder why a newspaper that makes endorsements, or a cable news network that blasts President Donald Trump all day, can benefit from being a corporation, but other people with a political message can’t.

Hawai‘i might expensively push this all the way back to the U.S. Supreme Court only to find that the definition of “the press” gets put on trial, in which case, I’d say, journalism as we know it has no special privilege. Freedom of the press is the freedom to publish, no more, no less. 

Well, look, I’m not an attorney. On SB 2471, all I know is, my alarm bells are going off.

When lawmakers tell me we need to act now in the face of a dire threat, but the threat is unnamed, the harm ill-defined, I get suspicious.

When lawmakers say somebody needs to shut up, but they won't say who or why, I wonder what sneaky stuff they're up to.

And when lawmakers tell us we need to be brave and charge ahead, regardless of obvious risks, I have to point out: It’s easy to be brave with other people’s money, isn’t it?

Remember, this is a Legislature insisting that Hawai‘i is so broke, it can’t afford to let taxpayers keep the tax cuts we were promised. 

But to get cute with the U.S. Supreme Court? Suddenly, money is no object!

[{"type":"text","text":"I hope SB 2471’s supporters plan to chip in for the defense."}]

 again rolled a vote over to Thursday, video at the link, go to 2:40 p.m. to see the brief exchange. Both chambers still have legal review underway and it was noted that the House Finance Committee needs to sign off as well.

Pay particular attention to Rep. Scot Matayoshi's passing reference. "Our biggest fear is we don't want to make this situation worse," he said. "We don't want to pas a bill that puts us in a and especially Hawaii companies in a potentially worse position, uh, not companies but non-profits and [garbled] committees in a worse position than when we started."

Matayoshi has mentioned this before in hearings on the bill, his desire to carve out exceptions of some kind for nonprofit organizations and unions. We'll see what, if anything, gets added to the bill as a result. But every exception they add is another opportunity for someone to say, in a court, "Why does that group get to speak, but ours can't?"

The Senate and House Conference deferred again, to Friday. Skip to 1:26:00

 of the discussion between conference committee chairs Matayoshi, on behalf of the House, and State Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole, to hear them both boast and hedge on what they're doing behind the scenes. 

Hedge No. 1 is to get rid of reset language in the bill. As written, it strips all Hawai‘i corporations of their charters entirely, then reinstitutes them, minus the freedom to spend on political speech. Instead, says Keohokalole, they want to give the state Attorney General and/or the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs authority to dissolve a corporation that engages in electioneering.

Good luck with that. The AG's office has already opposed this bill as a reckless challenge to the U.S. Supreme Court, so I'd be shocked if it wants the job of corporation executioner. 

Then this bombshell from him, "We are trying to provide clarity for labor organizations because there are a number of structures that labor organizations take in Hawai‘i, and there's some ambiguity around that that we want to make clear for everyone." He's also looking at language about how Mainland-based outfits operate in Hawai‘i.

It might interest you to know that according to Federal Elections Commission data, some 

include the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Political Action Fund, Carpenters Legislative Improvement Committee United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and Mainland-based leftwing PAC ActBlue.

I guess there's some "dark money" Keohokalole likes after all. More and more this is looking like a bill to silence any political spending in Hawai‘i that isn't the faithful pillars of Democratic Party monopoly power.

Matayoshi, for his part, continues to express concern that this bill will get Hawai‘i into trouble, despite, in his view, the obvious need for its good intentions. He brings up an approach the House has been looking at, based on Mainland legislation, to simply cap the size of donations to Political Action Committees.

If the two Chambers can't agree on Friday to a version they can put forward for a final reading, it dies for this session.

passed the conference committee and goes before the Legislature for a vote on Wednesday. At a glance, it still makes an exception for corporate political speech in the form of news and commentary, applies penalties to foreign — meaning based outside of Hawai‘i — corporations conducting electioneering in Hawai‘i as if they were Hawai‘i-based, and does not seem to contain the labor union clarifications Keohokalole was looking for. 

The room greeted the passage with applause, including from the folks in 

 T-shirts seated near me when I attended the final vote. By the way, did you know that if you want to 

, the funds go to Mainland-based ActBlue Civics, 

 as a leftwing fundraising 501(c)(4) nonprofit?

One suspects they are confident their electioneering will remain unencumbered if this bill makes into law, despite all the rhetoric about keeping Mainland money from contaminating our local politics.

In any case, despite the bill's passage, Matayoshi and Keohokalole appeared glum as a result of whatever wrangling passed between them over the bill between its 3:30 p.m. hearing and its final vote. Judge for yourself 

 of the conference meeting, starting at 4:36:13.

A. Kam Napier is editor in chief of Aloha State Daily. His opinions in Pipikaula Corner are his own and not reflective of the ASD team.

I Stock 1149364911 16x9

<title>Pipikaula Corner: The bill that won't name its target</title>

UPDATED 5/2: The joint conference committee has passed a revised SB 2471 on to the full Legislature, seeking to nullify for the Islands the U.S. Supreme Court's Citizens United decision. As ASD Editor A. Kam Napier observes, lawmakers are offering more argument than evidence for the bill while being vague about whose speech they really mean to curtail — or protect.

Pipikaula Corner: The bill that won't name its target

Katie Helland Headshot

Katie Helland

Arts & Entertainment

Food & Dining

From festivals to the world premiere of an opera performed in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi and English, there are a number of events happening on Oʻahu this weekend. Aloha State Daily compiled a list of some of the ones happening this Friday, Saturday and Sunday:

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Friday, May 1"}]

. On the list are performances from four-time Grammy winner Kalani Peʻa, as well as Grammy nominated Raiatea Helm. 

 has been creating Lei Day-inspired art in collaboration with Pow! Wow! Hawaiʻi, which will be unveiled on Friday, May 1. Check out events at Kapiʻolani Regional Park, Bishop Museum, Honolulu Museum of Art and various hotels, including 

Catch the world premiere of “Kamalehua: The Sheltering Tree.”

 This groundbreaking opera is performed in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi and English and features baritone Quinn Kelsey, who has performed internationally and at The Metropolitan Opera, but got his start on stage at Hawaiʻi Opera Theatre in Honolulu. Composed by Herb Mahelona, “Kamalehua: The Sheltering Tree” follows the story of Hawaiian emissary Timoteo Ha‘alilio — brought to life by Kelsey — during the reign of Kamehameha III. Ha‘alilio was a lifelong friend of the king, and the opera focuses on his mission to secure treaties from the United States, Great Britain, Belgium and France that recognized Hawaiʻi as a sovereign nation. 

“Kamalehua: The Sheltering Tree” will have performances on May 1, 3 and 5 at the Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Saturday, May 2"}]

Check out the Wahiawā Pineapple Festival (and Pineapple Run!). 

This festival benefits the Wahiawā Historical Society’s proposed museum. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and includes food booths, a Pineapple Bake Off, and a paper plane contest, as well as a Chee Hoo competition. Before the festival, participate in the Pineapple Run, a 10K that starts and finishes at the Pineapple Festival. Registration for the Pineapple Run is $65, if completed before May 2. 

Hawaiʻi Lodging & Tourism Association will host its 47th annual Visitor Industry Charity Walk on one day across four islands: Oʻahu, Kauai, Maui and Hawaiʻi Island. On Oʻahu, the walk starts at 7 a.m. at Magic Island at Ala Moana Regional Park. There will be interactive experiences and entertainment along the 4.5-mile route, including a chance to connect with community organizations such as Aloha Diaper Bank, United Cerebral Palsy Association of Hawaiʻi, Kindred Connection, Rehab Hospital of the Pacific, Work Now Hawaiʻi and 

Nā Kama Kai. There is also an alternative route, which is shorter, for individuals with disabilities and those who want a lighter walking experience. 

Established in 1978, the Charity Walk has raised more than $51 million, so far, according to HLTA’s website. Registration starts at 5:30 a.m. The suggested donation amount is $25 for youth and $50 for adults. 

Attend the Flores de Mayo & Filipino Fiesta.

 This all-day event runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Filipino Community Center in Waipahu. The event includes nonstop entertainment and activities, as well as opportunities to shop. There will be balut (boiled duck eggs containing embryos) and ice cream eating contests, plus karaoke. The event features more than 100 vendors. Free. 

 Village Books & Music is giving out comics, in celebration of Free Comic Book Day, while supplies last. This event starts at 1 p.m. at Ward Centre. 

 Toastmasters District 49 will host its annual conference and international speech contest from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Kaina Makua, who plays Kamehameha I in “Chief of War, is the keynote speaker. Workshop Presenter Robert Carvalho, DTM, Accredited Speaker, will deliver an educational workshop designed to elevate communication and leadership skills. Conference Toastmaster Diane Ako will guide attendees through the day’s program. Registration is $120. 

Mensho, which was founded in 2005 in Japan, is set to open at 5 p.m. at Ka Makana Aliʻi in Kapolei. The menu features Hawaiʻi exclusive bowls with ingredients like garlic shrimp and butter clam. 

On grand opening day, the first 100 customers will receive a free  tote bag with ramen purchase. 

Listen to the Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra at the Bishop Museum. 

 will perform “In C,” a composition by Terry Riley, at the historic Hawaiian Hall at the Bishop Museum. Performances will take place at 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. General admission is $35. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Sunday, May 3"}]

Catch the ROARchestra Rally: A Youth Day of Music. 

Catch performances from more than 500 youth across the state as part of the ROARchestra Rally at the Honolulu Zoo. Performances from the Hawaiʻi Youth Symphony's different performance groups run from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and are included in the cost of admission to the zoo. General admission is $21 for adults and $13 for keiki, with discounts for kamaʻāina and active military families. 

Tommy Bahama is hosting a swim event from 1 to 4 p.m. in the women’s swim department on the second floor of Bloomingdale’s at Ala Moana Center. The event showcases the newest swim collection and a Tommy Bahama swim fit specialist will be there to help you pick your looks. There will be live music, savory bites and tropical drinks from the Tommy Bahama Restaurant in Waikīkī.

Take the ʻohana to the Royal Hawaiian Center’s Ka Lewa Lānai rooftop from 3 to 6 p.m. for a variety of family friendly events and activities. Enjoy face painting and balloon animals, plus a chance to get up close with nature at the butterfly tent. The butterflies will be released at 5:45 p.m. There will also be interactive lawn games and a photo booth. 

 Still need to make plans for Mother’s Day, which is next Sunday, May 10? Aloha State Daily’s Food and Dining Reporter Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can help! Check out her guides for 

Where to celebrate Mother’s Day – part 2

Where to celebrate Mother’s Day – part 3

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Flores de Mayo & Filipino Fiesta

<title>Lei Day, festivals, opera, and more: Friday, May 1, through Sunday, May 3</title>

This weekend on Oʻahu, catch Lei Day celebrations, as well as the world premiere of “Kamalehua: The Sheltering Tree,” an opera in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi and English. Aloha State Daily’s guide to the weekend also features details for Wahiawā Pineapple Festival, Charity Walk, and Flores de Mayo & Filipino Fiesta.

Lei Day, festivals, opera, and more: Friday, May 1, through Sunday, May 3

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Business & Tourism

Francis and Charles Higa, the founders of Zippy's Restaurants, were really more than brothers.

"They were best friends growing up," says Francis' son Jason Higa. "It wasn't surprising, I think, to those that knew the two brothers that they would start a business together."

Zippy's, a popular and iconic institution in the Islands, was founded by the Higa brothers in 1966 and will celebrate its 60th anniversary this year. Aloha State Daily recently caught up with Jason Higa, CEO of Zippy's parent company, FCH Enterprises, to learn about the restaurant's origins, its legacy and more.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"In the beginning"}]

Higa says his dad and uncle were two of six siblings working at a family-owned meat market, which is still operated today by cousins.

"But at that time, Francis and Charlie knew that Higa Meat Market was not going to be big enough to sustain ... six siblings, so they decided to leave [and] start their own business," he told Aloha State Daily earlier this month.

It was the 1960s, and Higa says the pair began to look at different business options. Eventually, they started to talk to restaurant operators — more so drive-in operators, he says. Those operators, though, were quick to discourage the brothers because of their lack of experience — but the pair continued on anyway.

The Higa brothers opened the first Zippy's Restaurant in Honolulu's McCully neighborhood on Oct. 17, 1966.

They had no culinary background, Jason Higa says, so the duo hired Shiro Matsuo, a chef for then-Gov. John Burns. Matsuo, who went on to open his own restaurant called Shiro's Saimin Haven, helped Higa's father and uncle create the first menu for Zippy's.

"He was an excellent cook, came up with all the recipes for our original menu and that's how Zippy's got started."

The restaurant was open 24 hours at the start. Higa says that was unusual for the time and a lot of business in the early years came between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. "because there were no other options."

Zippy's, he says, became a destination for late night movie-goers, customers from the bars that were open until 2 a.m. and hotel workers coming from or headed to late night shifts in Waikīkī.

"We had a very robust customer base because of the 24 hours of operation, of course seven days a week."

In the early days, Higa says his uncle would work 6 a.m. until 8 p.m. or later, and his father would would 6 p.m. to 8 a.m.

"They always felt that one of them should be active at the restaurant to make sure they can support the team members and make sure the customer service was where they wanted it to be," he told ASD. "Growing up, my recollection was my father was always sleeping because he was sleeping during the daytime, preparing to go to work at 6 p.m."

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Family traditions"}]

Not surprisingly, Higa — who was around 3 when the first Zippy's opened — says his first job was at Zippy's in Makiki when he was 14.

"My dad wanted me to experience working at an early age and so I worked as a utility dishwasher that first summer, and subsequently would work on the weekends during high school and summers between high school," he says. "I pretty much worked in almost every position in the company over that period before leaving to the Mainland for college."

Higa, though, says he had no desire to lead the company. In fact, after college he went to law school and subsequently spent five years working at a Hawai‘i law firm before returning to Zippy's in 1995. He went through the management training program and worked at various stores and Zippy's central kitchen before taking the leadership position in 2003.

"I had no desire to come back to the family business, but after five years working as an attorney, I realized that there was a special opportunity that I had in terms of coming back to the family business," he says. "The truth is that I think I was motivated from the standpoint of when I grew up, my father was always working, so I really didn't get a chance to get to know him as well as I wanted to. Coming back to the family business in '95 was probably, for me, an opportunity to get to know him better.

"I never worked directly under him at any point before his passing, but I definitely began to understand him as a person, pretty much through the company culture."

[{"type":"text","text":"When his father died, Higa says he didn't feel ready to take the reins."}]

"It eventually took me four years before I realized that, hey, I just got to do my best, and learned over the years how to navigate, how to build our leadership team, how to make decisions. [I] always led by the core values, which gives you a sense of direction in terms of decision-making and that has always helped us to make good decisions along the way."

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Legacy"}]

Zippy's has long been popular with kama‘āina. Actor 

 has called it his first stop in the Islands when he visits Hawai‘i. His newest movie, '

' features select scenes filmed at Zippy's ‘Ewa Beach location, and as a tie-in with the movie, Zippy's even offered a limited-time menu item called 

. Former President Barack Obama is said to have frequented the 

 across on O‘ahu, Maui, Hawai‘i Island and in Las Vegas. And if you're wondering, it sells more than 

When asked about Zippy's legacy, Higa says it's a byproduct of the last 60 years.

"As I was in the stores, what was clear is that there was a strong connection between our team members and customers," he says. "We still today have many customers, some of them would come in every day. We had customers that would come in for breakfast and lunch and sometimes even dinner, which is just amazing. And so they, of course, got to know the team members. The team members got to know the customers."

[{"type":"text","text":"The connections are multi-generational, too."}]

Higa says there are team members who have children whose first jobs were at Zippy's, "and then you see the multi-generational evolution of our early customers now bringing in their children and then now grandchildren coming into our locations."

"I think that's just a special part of our relationship with our community," he continued. "Francis and Charlie always understood that they were only successful because of our customers and because of the community, so we have a long history of giving back to the community."

And when he's asked about things that have contributed to the chain's 60-year success, Higa cites the core values that go back to Zippy's founders. 

The company uses the acronym CHIPS: commitment, humility, integrity, passion and supportiveness.

"It's really reflective, I think, of why we have been able to stay in business," he says. "So definitely the level of commitment, but also humility, and humility translates into being willing to learn, to evolve. We certainly have done that over our history, a lot of changes that we have to do in order to adapt."

As an example, Higa cites the Covid-19 pandemic, which he says allowed Zippy's to "make a lot of changes, which are benefiting us today."

[{"type":"text","text":"Meanwhile, integrity is \"essential\" in Hawai‘i."}]

"For Francis and Charlie, the reputation of the business was so important, and there's many examples where they didn't care about profit," Higa says. "They were looking at the long-term and making sure they always did the right thing throughout their history and that, I think, created the trust with our customer base and even internally with our team members."

Supportiveness is reflected in Zippy's growth, he told ASD, "especially in the early years, they were very encouraging of team members to advance into management or other positions of greater responsibility."

"I think what they learned early on [is that] expansion created opportunities for team members to continue to progress and grow within the company. We have many team members that have been with us for decades, and started out as a utility, a counter person ... and today they're in executive leadership or management or they're a key part of our administrative positions."

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"60th anniversary"}]

How does it feel to hit this milestone and lead the company across that threshold?

"At times, it feels overwhelming, but I realize that is a privilege, for not just for me, but I know for the executive team or any of our longtime team members," Higa says. "They understand the legacy of our founders and how hard the founders worked and we continue to carry on that legacy by remaining successful, figuring out what we need to figure out, and ensure that we can continue to operate because we also realize that we are providing a living for all of our team members."

Zippy's, which will celebrate the milestone throughout the year, kicked off its anniversary celebration earlier this month with the launch of a new line of 60th anniversary merch.

Brothers Francis and Charles Higa opened the first Zippy's Restaurant in Honolulu's McCully neighborhood on Oct. 17, 1966. Aloha State Daily recently caught up with Jason Higa, CEO of Zippy's parent company, FCH Enterprises, to learn about the restaurant's origins, its legacy and more.

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