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Daily Smile

[{"type":"text","text":"When you're just too tired to walk..."}]

SMILE 26 6 21

<title>Daily Smile: Sunday, June 21, 2026</title>

When you're just too tired to walk...

Daily Smile: Sunday, June 21, 2026

 When you&#039;re just too tired to walk...

Christian Shimabuku Headshot

Christian Shimabuku

Sports

Wendell Look has given nearly his entire life to ‘Iolani School. After graduating in 1978, he became an assistant football coach at his alma mater in 1983 after getting his degree from Boise State. 

Look became the head coach of ‘Iolani's football team in 1991 and eventually added athletic director to his list of duties with the school. 

Under Look, the Raiders won eight HHSAA Division II titles, including six straight from 2007 to 2012. 

When the state introduced three tiers of state football championships in 2016 (Open, Division I and Division II), the Raiders moved up to the second-tier Division I tournament, reaching the championship game but falling to Mililani and future NFL quarterback 

 31-20. When ‘Iolani returned to the Division I championship game in 2019, the Raiders lost 20-17 to Hilo in heartbreaking fashion on Keanu Keolanui's 55-yard field goal off the crossbar as time expired. 

After the 2020 season was wiped out due to COVID-19, the Raiders returned to the Division I state championship game in 2021, triumphing 38-0 over Lahainaluna. 

Following over four decades of exhilarating wins, painful losses and countless relationships built, Look decided to call it a career earlier in the year. He will retire from both of his positions at ‘Iolani, with June 30 serving as his last day. Following Look's retirement announcement, ‘Iolani has named Jana Fraser

, Eddie Maruyama and Maurice Maggiolino as the school's new co-athletic directors, while 1993 ‘Iolani alumnus Patrick Samsonas will serve as the next head football coach. 

Aloha State Daily sat with Look for a wide-ranging Q&A on his career and legacy. 

 Congratulations on a great career. What went into your decision to retire? 

I just thought it was the right time to step away. The school is going through a transition period right now with the new head of school, and the landscape of education is moving in a different direction. I'm kind of an old school kind of guy, so I thought that to make the transition smooth, this was a good time for me to step away and let the next generation and the next administration take over and take it the direction they want it to go.

Since you've made the announcement, what's the reception been like from your coworkers, former players and former coaches?

 The players are happy that I'm finally getting time to myself, and they've been very thankful and appreciative. That's been nice. I haven't heard from a lot of them for a while, and then a lot of them reached back out, which was nice. They all expressed appreciation for not only me, but what football here did for them, and how it helped them in their adult life. That to me is why we do what we do, right? They might not feel the effects or understand what we're trying to teach but maybe 10, 15, 20 years down the road, they do. That's what makes it so gratifying and makes it meaningful. My coworkers, obviously they're happy, but they know it's a changing of the guard kind of, but they're very happy for me. This is a good place, and hopefully the foundation is strong enough that the traditions and the legacy of Father (Kenneth A. Bray) and coach (Eddie) Hamada will continue on.

What went into the process of selecting Patrick Samsonas as the next football coach at ‘Iolani, and was there a lot of interest in that position?

 I had a few calls from people, but football people know that this is kind of a unique place to be the head coach, and not in the sense that we're a football factory. In fact, we're the complete opposite, right? You have to have the right mindset and the right priorities to coach here, because obviously we don't get the per se football player here. We get good students here, we get kids that are motivated, who are somewhat athletically gifted, but physically, not really football guys. But they're gonna play hard, they're gonna play smart, and they're gonna give you all they got. I think being an alumni and going through the process of being an alumni in our program was important. 

Pat kind of came out of the blue, really. I didn't know he was interested. His son (Zion) is going to be a senior this year at Mililani, and so that's a tough thing to do: to coach another team while your son's finishing up his senior year (Note: High school athletes on O‘ahu are required to sit out a year athletically if they transfer from an OIA school to an ILH school). His son is pretty good, so I didn't think he was interested. But he didn't want to see all the coaches' legacy and traditions and the history of this place, what Father Bray and what Coach Hamada built, go away. And he felt that, like me, it had to be someone, an alumni that has gone through the process and understood what it meant to be One Team. So, with a little prodding from his peers and his classmates, that's how it came about.

What advice have you been able to share with him?

We've talked and stuff a little bit, but he knows what needs to get done. He knows what the philosophy is, what kind of kids we have here, what the priorities are. He knows all that kind of stuff, the everyday stuff. Obviously I'll help him, but he's been head coach before (at Kaiser from 2005 to 2009), so he knows what it takes. When I took over for coach Hamada, he came out the first day of practice and said this is yours now, you got to do it your own way. You got to be your own person. You cannot be me, you got to be yourself. And that was it. That's all he said. And he walked away, and he never came back out to practice. He came to games every once in a while, but he wasn't one that was gonna hover and give me unsolicited advice and be critical of what we're doing. That showed that he believed in what I was going to do and what I was going to continue, and so that trust that he had in me, I want Pat to feel that too, right? This is going to be his program now, and he's got to do it his own way, and I don't want him looking over his shoulder. People ask me would I have given up one or the other (between coaching and being AD). If I only retire from one, I think it'd be unfair to the person who was going to take over. ... I felt it was best that I step away from both, just to give everybody a clear path to kind of do it their own way.

Over the years, how do you think you were able to find success given the roster size situation at ‘Iolani? How did that process work every year of figuring out how many players you had at your disposal and making a team out of that?

 That is the biggest challenge. Some years there's 60 guys coming out, and some years there's 35. Some years you have a lot of linemen, and some years you're trying to find linemen, or you're trying to convert guys to be linemen. That has always been the challenge — finding enough pieces to put an offense out and a defense out and special teams. But what made it manageable is the kind of kids we get. They're smart kids. They're book smart. Sometimes you gotta teach them a little bit more about how to play on the field, but you explain it to them and they get it. They understand what you're trying to tell them. Sometimes, physically, they might not be able to execute what you want to do, but they're gonna gonna keep trying. They're not gonna give up. That was, again, the biggest challenge, but once we we got all the pieces, it was like playing chess for us, right? Sometimes we got to move pieces that other programs and coaching staffs wouldn't have to think about it. Sometimes you got a 5-foot-6, 155-pound guard and say that's all I got, but that kid's willing to stick his nose in there and try, because he knows that's what's best for the team, and I'm gonna push the heck out of that kid. 

Another part of it was my staff. The longevity of the staff created consistency. I had guys with me from the beginning, and I had a lot of guys for 20 plus years, and that's what made us even stronger, because the kids knew what was expected of them. It was consistent teaching and coaching year after year and why we had success was the consistency of the coaching staff.

(Laughs) Oh geez. The most painful loss was in the state championship game against Hilo. The guy kicked the 

. You go back and you look at it, and shoot. I could have done things better managing the last two minutes of the game, but I thought to myself we're not gonna take the foot off the accelerator, we're gonna go, and if we gotta punt, we're gonna pin them back and they got no timeouts. Who the heck's gonna know the guy's gonna kick a 55-yarder off the damn crossbar? So yeah, that one was painful. I think losing the playoff game to Damien (in 2023) was painful, because that kind of broke the streak of our state tournament appearances. 

I think we've had some exciting wins. There was a state semifinal game here, I think against Kapa‘a (in 2014). Keoni Kordell-Makekau broke one across the field and scored to win the game. We beat Punahou here twice on our field, so those two wins, I think (are up there). Our first state championship (in 2005), we went to the finals the year before against Campbell, and they absolutely destroyed us. It was eye-opening, and that group of seniors coming back the next year really made it a point and a goal to get back to the championship game and win, and they did it, so that first championship was good. The one after COVID (in 2021), that was really satisfying, because it was not only for that senior class, but the senior class before that lost out on playing. That was the senior class that lost to Hilo. They were juniors, then COVID hit, then they lost out their senior year. So the following year, that senior class dedicated that season to those guys. They put their mind to it that we win it not just for us, but for those guys, too, and they did it.

How cool has it been to see your daughter's own football career take off (Note: Kodi Look is the director of football operations for the University of Oregon)?

I think it's her growing up within our program, and being around it (Note: Kodi Look, a 2008 ‘Iolani alumnus, was also the starting kicker for the Raiders under her father). I guess it's in her blood (laughs), and her playing and winning a state championship, too. It kind of just sparked a little bit, and then when she went to Oregon State, a lot of (former University of Hawai‘i assistants) were there: Mike Cavanaugh, Mark Banker, so they took care of her through my relationship with them. They took care of her and started her on her career, and she did that all the way through her four years at Oregon State. She then went to the Arena League in San Jose, and everywhere she's gone, they've had success. She went to the Arena League, and shoot, they won the championship there in their second year. 

... She got a taste of what college football was real quick, because (Mark) Helfrich got fired at Oregon her first year there (in 2016). But through her work, she kind of proved herself that she was worthy of being there. She survived four coaches. (Willie) Taggart was the next one, and then Mario Cristobal came in and actually wanted to take her to Miami with her. She was very close to going, and it would have been a huge career move, but it wasn't all about the money and stuff. She felt that her work wasn't done yet in Eugene, and so she stayed, and coach (Dan) Lanning wanted her to stay. He really appreciated what her reputation has been at Oregon, and so again, she's proving herself to be a worthy member of his staff. I think he really appreciates what she does there. We're really proud of her. I take all the credit (laughs). Everybody says she's a spitting image of me (more laughs).

When you first started out at your alma mater, did you envision yourself spending your entire career there? And what are you going to miss the most about the day-to-day?

Back in the day when I got hired, the headmaster at that time was Dave Coon. He had a saying that this is not your job, this is your calling. You are working at ‘Iolani School because this is your calling. This is where you belong. Have I had thoughts about going to college at times? Yeah, I guess, but I didn't feel that the urge to go was greater than staying here. My place was here, my purpose was here. To do what I've been doing for 35 years, did I expect to stay here for this long? I don't know. It hasn't seemed that long, but it has been. But it's been so rewarding. You work with some of the greatest kids around. I'll miss the people. The people I work with, my office staff, my coaching staff, the athletic staff, they all have the same vision and philosophy of it's not about them, it's about the school, it's about the kids. I'll miss the kids. Obviously, they're the ones that have been the motivation to do what I do, and to see that growth, and seeing them achieve their goals along the way, and kind of being a small part of helping them get there. I'm gonna miss that. But, there's things I won't miss (hearty laugh). It's bittersweet, but it's the right time."

You clearly have a lot of reverence for Father Bray and coach Hamada. A lot of people would put you in that same sentence. How do you want to be remembered at ‘Iolani? 

 If my players can say that yeah, he was tough on us, but he was fair, and he cared about us. That's all it is. If all of them say that, then I did what I was supposed to do. You got to be tough on them, but you want to be fair, and they got to know that, hey, I'm doing this because I care about you.

Any former players stand out in that regard? 

Oh, there's been tons of them. I mean, you look at Ed Ta'amu. He came from Waipahu. Again, you got to be smart enough to come here, because academically, we don't skate on anything, right? We didn't have different programs, we have one academic curriculum, and they're thrown in with National Merit guys, guys with 4.5 GPAs that are taking five AP classes, so they got to be able to keep up, and they come in at eighth, ninth grade. They don't have the academic foundation like some of these kids have, and they don't have the resources that some of these kids have, but the parents know that if they come to ‘Iolani and graduate, they're going to have a head start on life. It takes those kinds of kids time to adjust to ‘Iolani, but to see that kind of guy come here, take advantage of the opportunities that they have, give back to the school in more than just athletics (is the most rewarding part). 

Ed was the Defensive Player of the Year, went to Utah on a full ride scholarship, got drafted by the Minnesota Vikings (in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL Draft), so he made the most of his opportunity. But what a lot of people don't know is that his senior year, he stepped out of his comfort box, and he was the lead in the school spring musical. Who would have thought that this guy would be the lead in the spring musical, but that's what ‘Iolani does to you, right? It gives you opportunities, and it's just a matter of are you going to take advantage of it, and how much are you going to use, and how much are you going to going to experience here? This place offers so much, and it takes the whole staff, the teachers, the counselors, everybody, to help these kids succeed. To see what he has accomplished, really, that's the real satisfaction. You see a kid come from the (public) housing and stuff, and the kind of success that they have now is just amazing, so those are kind of the success stories that people don't see or don't understand. They think everybody coming to ‘Iolani has the silver spoon in their mouth, but they're not, and that's what makes ‘Iolani so special. We take kids from all kinds of backgrounds, but once they get in here, the philosophy is we're going to take them, we will help them succeed. We're not gonna let them fail. So, yeah, there's a lot of those stories there.

Is there anything else you'd like to add that we didn't get to touch on?

For (Hawai‘i high school football coaching veterans) like me, like (former ‘Aiea coach) Wendell Say, Bobby Watson (at Lahainaluna), Cal Lee (at Saint Louis), they're kind of old school guys. They've been around, and they have the right reasons why they do stuff. But people forget that behind every man is a great woman, and they'll be the first to tell you that their wives had a major part in their success, and so did mine. She kind of raised our kids, and I give her the credit for that. The success that our kids have had and their values is a credit to her. So, yeah, you cannot forget about the wives.

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Wendell Look 061926

<title>Q&A: Wendell Look reflects on his ‘Iolani career</title>

Look is retiring as the school's athletic director and head football coach on June 30 after spending over four decades at the school.

Q&A: Wendell Look reflects on his ‘Iolani career

Kam Napier Headshot

A. Kam Napier

Columnists

Government & Politics

 Thursday. Joining former president Barak Obama and Michelle Obama in Chicago, Illinois, were former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Joe Biden, and a host of Hollywood, music and media celebrities.

Far as I can tell, no one locally has covered this event, outside of a wire service story picked up by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. If Hawai‘i Democrats attended the party, they were certainly quiet about it. You can hardly tell that, back in the day, Hawai‘i tried really, really hard to be the home for Obama’s presidential library.

Maybe, now that we can see it, kama‘āina are, like me, breathing a sigh of relief that it isn’t here. But first some backstory, before I dust off my architecture critic skills.

You don’t hear about this much anymore, but all through the Obama administration, Hawai‘i — well, maybe just especially prominent, political parts of Hawai‘i — were totally in love with Barack Obama. They were eager to claim him as Hawai‘i’s own, on the grounds that he attended high school here, and acted as if someone from the Islands had been elected directly to the White House. This one-sided love affair was in full swing when, early in Obama's first term, talk of his presidential library first emerged.

[{"type":"text","text":"“Pick me!” Hawai‘i said."}]

“The Hawai‘i Legislature has sent the White House a joint resolution that it passed last session urging Obama to pick Hawai‘i as the site for his library,” reported Dan Nakaso in the Star-Advertiser on 

We did more then send a resolution. Nakaso reported that a University of Hawai‘i working group would be created to study potential sites, designs, archive management policies and more. UH Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Reed Dasenbrock was scheduled to fly to Washington D.C. “to meet with the head of the presidential library division of the National Archives and to Little Rock, Ark., to meet with the director of the Clinton Presidential Center and the Clinton Foundation.

An especially fervent fan was UH Associate Professor of American Studies Robert Perkinson, who, while he knew Chicago officials were already pushing to have the library, said, “But I feel the stars are aligned a certain way that we are really going to fight to win this. I think we’re going to do what it takes. And that means over the next months and years developing an architectural proposal that is breathtaking and a museum that’s innovative and has a really robust public education component that could benefit all of the kids of Hawai‘i and a policy center that could really help us meet Hawai‘i’s challenges and those of the larger Pacific and the larger world.”

Not that Hawai‘i believed it could beat Chicago, where Obama’s political career actually began. In a May 27, 2011 reader poll, the Star-Advertiser found that 70% of 923 respondents thought that Chicago would win.

Four years later, Hawai‘i was in the top four locations vying for the library when Star-Advertiser political columnist Richard Borreca 

on presidential libraries who advised Hawai‘i to quit. The proposed Kaka‘ako location was unlikely to draw the foot traffic that would make it succeed, and the next steps to advance were expensive in terms of developing a “detailed master development plan for the surrounding community.” Meanwhile, Borecca noted, UH was still hot for the library, hoping it would transform the university and its stature.

[{"type":"text","text":"Ultimately, Chicago won."}]

As for the architecture of the Obama Presidential Center, I’m hard pressed to say anything original, as people have been blasting it since the final design first emerged, and more so once people could see it looming 23 stories over an otherwise low-rise, residential neighborhood. It’s been compared to a mausoleum, a headstone, to Saruman’s tower in the "The Lord of the Rings," to something the Empire would build in a "Star Wars" movie. Note: When people make comparisons of this building to movie architecture, it is always Buildings for the Bad Guys.

, based in New York City. Perhaps they hated their client. Or perhaps they were bold enough to honestly reflect the singular, monumental ego of a man who once 

 while running the first time for president, “I think I could probably do every job on the campaign better than the people I’ll hire to do it” and “I think I’m a better speechwriter than my speechwriters. I know more about policies on any particular issue than my policy directors. And I’ll tell you right now that I’m gonna think I’m a better political director than my political director.”

Or, when he’d won the nomination — not the presidency, mind you, just the nomination — that 

 as “the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal.”

So given all those and countless other examples, it’s no surprise the architecture stands alone, angular, imposing, humorless. It resembles Soviet naked-concrete brutalist buildings but is actually clad in American granite, yet a granite so gray that they might just as well have skipped the expense and stuck with the cement underneath.

To me, the most significant detail is the tower’s near total lack of windows. This building is literally blind to the outside world and internally recursive — all views bounce back in upon themselves to see only the interior. It’s an architectural manifestation of self-absorption.

What windows the building does have are cropped into one top corner, and are obscured by a massive a massive inscription of — what else? — a quote from one of Obama’s own speeches. One cannot look out without looking through the man himself, through his words given on the 50th anniversary of the Selma marches.

 but the inscription has been rendered deliberately illegible. Yes, deliberately.

“One of the key questions I asked at the beginning was, are people supposed to read this?” said designer Micheal Bierut, who typeset the lettering with a team at Pentagram, led by designer Britt Cobb, as reported by 

. “Is legibility the primary goal here? Do we want people to be able to stand on the ground, look up at this tower, and read those words? And that was discussed on the client end, and the answer came back, ‘No, it should have the promise of meaning, it should be decipherable, everything should be spelled right and it should make sense.’”

[{"type":"text","text":"“The promise of meaning.”"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"I just rolled my eyes so hard I pulled an eye muscle."}]

Then there’s the totally on-brand, real world social and economic dimensions of the project.

The cost of construction ballooned from $350 million to $850 million, per 

. Black residents of the neighborhood have been displaced and priced out, so much so that the city of Chicago is budgeting $6 million for affordable housing to make up for it. Construction companies are still owed “hundreds of thousands of dollars to tens of millions.” Private funding came nowhere near the investment needed and the State of Illinois, all told, will have spent some $200 million on infrastructure.

Since his foundation hasn’t paid its bills, since the building and its namesake have taken so much from their neighbors, there’s actually another famous quote from Obama that comes to mind:

[{"type":"text","text":"Mahalo, Chicago, for taking this off our hands."}]

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.

Obama library Getty Images 2281570460 16x9

<title>Pipikaula Corner: Hawai‘i dodged a library bullet</title>

Hawai‘i tried very hard to be the home of Barack Obama's presidential library. Now the thing exists in Chicago, open to the public, over budget and overwrought. ASD Editor in Chief A. Kam Napier recaps Hawai‘i's doomed quest to secure this building and gets into what the architecture of the finished project tells us.

Pipikaula Corner: Hawai‘i dodged a library bullet

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

 is opening in Honolulu. Its original Kaʻaʻawa store, which opened about two years ago, is now closed, and the Waikīkī location — within Lilia Waikīkī — will celebrate its grand opening on July 1.

The cafe will soft open to the public starting today, June 19 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. (starting on June 21, it will be open from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.). After its July grand opening, the cafe will be open daily from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The business is known for its farm-to-cup 100% Kona coffee experience. The cafe produces and solely serves 100% Kona coffee sourced directly from its family owned farms on Hawaiʻi Island.

“Kona coffee is known all around the world, so it’s very important to us to showcase a true Hawaiian product,” says Jean Orlowski, who founded Hala Tree Cafe with his wife, Danielle. “Everything is coming from our farm — we manage the farm, we are processing and roasting, and now we are selling the cups of coffee. We only sell the coffee that we are producing; it’s 100% Kona coffee in every cup.”

Customers can find classic coffee drinks — like mochas, lattes, drip coffee and more — that are made exclusively with 100% Kona coffee. The cafe also features new signature beverages, including the hibiscus fizz ($9) — sparkling lemon and hibiscus topped with espresso and cold foam) — Cascara Cola ($7), and summer spritzer ($7). The latter features sparkling citrus, fresh turmeric and spices.

“The Cascara Cola is made with macadamia nuts, vanilla, citrus peel and a bunch of spices, and it’s mixed with sparkling water,” says general manager Brian Webb. “It tastes just like Coca-Cola, but it’s made with cascara, which is the fruit of the coffee tree. The hibiscus fizz is probably going to be our signature drink; it’s a layered sparkling drink with hibiscus syrup, lemon-flavored seltzer water, hibiscus cold foam and a shot of espresso.”

The cafe still has an ube latte, but it’s now called the ‘Uala latte. It features espresso layered with milk and purple sweet potato syrup.

Other drink options include matcha lattes, mango matcha and honey lavender matcha, which is a new option. Customers can also look forward to seasonal offerings in the upcoming months.

“We have a team of six very highly experienced baristas working to create a curated menu,” Webb says.

The Waikīkī location also features an on-site bakery led by in-house pastry chef Abigail Langlas, whose previous culinary experiences include working at Alan Wong’s Restaurant and Neiman Marcus. Customers can look forward to fresh pastries baked daily using locally sourced ingredients, along with a rotating selection of specials.

“The pastry menu here is highly elevated compared to what we were doing in Kaʻaʻawa,” Webb says. “Pastries will be $5 to $9 — some of the more elaborate pastries will be around $9; croissants and smaller scones will be around $5.”

On the cafe’s first day of soft opening, the pastry selection included croissants, almond croissants, cruffins, chocolate croissants, financiers, creme brulee danishes, and quiche Lorraine. Other treats included basque cheesecakes, banana bread, coffee shortbread and toffee brown butter chocolate chip cookies, according to pastry chef Abigail Langlas.

“The coffee shortbread uses our Kona coffee,” Langlas says. “We’ll plan to have a quiche every day, but it’ll (the flavor) probably change.”

While opening a Honolulu location was always part of the plan, Orlowski explains that it was essential to find the right fit.

“We wanted a location that had good exposure, but we are also a little bit on a side road (in Waikīkī), and that’s on purpose,” he says. “We wanted to have enough space (for our customers) to sit.

“Our vision has always been to bring people closer to the source and share the story behind every cup,” he states. “Opening in Waikīkī allows us to welcome even more guests into that experience — whether they’re discovering our Kona coffee for the first time or already love what makes it so special.”

Hala Tree Cafe drinks 061826

<title>Hala Tree Café is opening in Waikīkī</title>

The business closed its original Kaʻaʻawa store and is soft opening today in Waikīkī. It’s known for serving 100% Kona coffee, and this new location also features an in-house bakery. Hala Tree Café’s grand opening will be on July 1.

Hala Tree Café is opening in Waikīkī

Square Kady Pascual Headshot RGZ5762

Kady Pascual

There's a new voice waking up Hawaiʻi mornings, and Aloha State Daily is joining the conversation.

94.7 KUMU, Hawaiʻi’s feel good station, recently announced a new morning radio show, "Morning Vibe with Sunway," airing live from 5:30 to 10 a.m. on weekday mornings.

, “Sunway is a veteran singer, songwriter, and performer from Hawai’i. She has been nominated for two Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards and has released several albums of original music throughout her career.”

Looking for local grindz? Every Friday at 8 a.m., ASD’s Food & Dining reporter Kelli Shiroma Braiotta is on-air for "Local Flavor Fridays" to give you your weekly foodie update. She will serve up the latest scoop on new restaurant openings, food and drink specials, pop-ups, broke da mouth bites around the Island and more.

ASD can’t wait to be part of your morning routine!

Local Flavor Friday 94 7 Kumu Kelli and Sunway sml

<title>Aloha State Daily joins 94.7 KUMU on new segment, 'Local Flavor Fridays'</title>

Start your Friday off by listening to 94.7 KUMU’s newest segment, "Local Flavor Fridays," featuring ASD’s Food & Dining reporter Kelli Shiroma Braiotta.

Aloha State Daily joins 94.7 KUMU on new segment, 'Local Flavor Fridays'

Arts & Entertainment

 is opening its new location at Ala Moana Center on Monday, April 14. It’s located in the Center’s ‘Ewa wing (street level). Dave & Buster’s at Ward Entertainment Center closed on April 1.

To celebrate the grand opening, the first 100 guests in line at 11 a.m. on April 14 will receive Power Card with unlimited video game play on non-redemption games for the entire day.   

“The old location was over 20 years old,” says general manager Andrew Shimabukuro. “I think the locals will be very happy with what we have to offer here, compared to before. The games are new, the rooms are new, everything is new — it’s something totally different.”                

The nearly 45,000-square-foot space features a wide range of interactive and immersive experiences. Here’s what you can look forward to:

In this immersive “Human Crane” game, guests are strapped into a crane machine and lowered into a pit where they can grab prizes with their own hands. Think of a life-size twist on the classic claw game.

“We have a new game called Top Gun; you’re basically flying a fighter jet simulator,” Shimabukuro says. “UFC is a huge game that I think is going to do really well. We have a bunch of new coin pusher games.”

The self-serve beer wall is another notable feature. This "tap zone" requires customers to purchase a card to use the dispensers. 

Meanwhile, the Midway area features more than 120 games and VR experiences. The Arena offers two immersive rooms with interactive digital walls, floors and ceilings.

“The Arena has fully immersive games,” Shimabukuro says. “It’s physical, mental and agility challenges. You actually get into the games; it’s really cool.”

This new location also features six private game suites where guests can book interactive experiences with high-tech darts or digital shuffleboard. If you want an even more exclusive party, there’s a VIP room with dedicated service and more privacy for larger groups.

This new location will offer hundreds of new and classic arcade games. You can look forward to life-sized versions of Minecraft Dungeons Arcade, Hungry Hungry Hippos and more. Tickets earned from arcade games will be redeemable for prizes ranging from Xbox consoles and Beats by Dre headphones to various Apple products.

If you loved D&B’s Eat, Drink & Play Combo promotion, rest assured it’s back — along with other daily, weekly and monthly promotions.

D&B’s half price happy hour features 50% off cocktails, beers and more from 4 to 7 p.m. Mondays to Friday and from 10 p.m. to close Sundays to Thursdays. The popular Eat, Drink & Play combo allows guests to choose from five entrée options, an unflavored tea or fountain drink, and a $10 Power Card for $24.99. 

Half-Price Games Wednesdays feature 50% off all games every Wednesday, while all-you-can-eat wings is a Monday special that includes unlimited wings and a $10 Power Card for $25.99 per person.

Dave & Buster's Honolulu has an extensive menu of dishes and drinks. Customers can still look forward to  favorites like the Mucho loco moco ($16.99), Buster's bacon smashed burger ($19.49) and kalbi beef ($21.99). New dishes include the protein-forward stacked steak bowl ($25.99), funnel cake fries ($12.99) and brownie bliss dessert ($12.99). 

Dave & Buster’s Honolulu at Ala Moana Center will be open starting April 14 from 11 a.m. to midnight Mondays and Tuesdays, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Wednesdays to Fridays, 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. Saturdays, and from 10 a.m. to midnight on Sundays.

Ala Moana Center 1450 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 

daveandbusters.com/us/en/about/locations/honolulu-ala-moana

Daily Smile: Sunday, June 21, 2026

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Daily Smile: Sunday, June 21, 2026

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