Hawaiian restaurant coming by way of Saipan

A Pacific Islander from Saipan plans to open a Hawaiian restaurant next month in the Queen City.

Finnet Falig is targeting a Dec. 1 soft launch and Dec. 9 grand opening for Hula Hawaiian Kitchen at 1730 E. Republic Road in the Southgate Shopping Center.

Falig is of Chamorro descent, a member of the indigenous people of the Mariana Islands that includes Guam and Saipan. He moved to Virginia in 2000 and to Springfield four years later. He said Hawaiian food is similar to dishes served in Saipan and has a better chance of catching on with Springfieldians.

“Not everybody knows where Saipan is,” said Falig, who co-owns Hula Hawaiian Kitchen with his friend and business partner Tingting Liu. “We went with something that’s familiar.”

Falig, who will manage the restaurant, decided to enter the ownership side of the industry after working at Outback Steakhouse and Umi Sushi Bar.

“After working in so many restaurants, why not island food?” he said of the Hula concept.

Falig declined to disclose lease terms and square footage at Southgate Shopping Center. The business partners currently are hiring to meet their launch plans, but they haven’t landed on a specific number of employees. Falig said the restaurant would serve dishes known in the Pacific Islands, including those cooked with Spam, as well as some Asian food.  

Falig and Liu’s restaurant would be the second Hawaiian-style eatery to open in Springfield since September. Brothers John and Johnson Tan on Sept. 2 launched The Big Island Grill at 2925 E. Battlefield Road, Ste. 105.

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