Latest / Hawaii Travel Podcast by Hawaii’s Best: Plan a Better Hawaii Vacation / Leilani's on the Beach on Maui in Hawaii - How Hawaiian Culture Impacts Everything

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Leilani's on the Beach on Maui in Hawaii - How Hawaiian Culture Impacts Everything · Hawaii Travel Podcast by Hawaii’s Best: Plan a Better Hawaii Vacation

• 0:00
  Jason Donez: really is just about stoking people out man.
• 0:04
  Jason Donez: But but again just leading with that aloha spirit. It's just making sure we establish that right off the bat.
• 0:11
  Unknown: Hello How
• 0:12
  Hawaii's Best: Welcome to Hawaii's Best podcast, learn the story behind Hawaii's Best experiences, influencers and businesses. Discover everything that makes Hawaii the Aloha state. And now your host, Brian Murphy.
• 0:28
  Bryan Murphy: Aloha and welcome to Episode 20 of Hawaii's Best.
• 0:32
  Bryan Murphy: Here at Hawaii's Best, we explore Hawaii's Best experiences, businesses and influencers. And we can hear the story from the people behind them. I'm your host, Brian Murphy. And I just want to say thank you so much for joining me today. And to stay up to date on future episodes, hit that subscribe button. And that just means a whole lot to me. Because that just allows other people to be able to find this conversation about Hawaii. And if you're anything like me, you love Hawaii, you love hearing about Hawaii, you love going to Hawaii, so hit that subscribe button. It mean the world to me.
• 1:09
  Bryan Murphy: I am so pumped for today's conversation and it's been a minute since I've uploaded an episode, we got hit hard with the flu, myself and my family.
• 1:17
  Bryan Murphy: If you don't know my wife and I, Ollie, we have, we have three girls. And we all got hit at the same time a couple weeks ago, during Thanksgiving week. And you can probably still hear my voice a little bit. But there's so many conversations that I have recorded from amazing people that I just couldn't pull this off anymore. I just I had to get this episode out. So coming up, there's gonna be amazing new episodes coming up at towards the end of this year and also at the beginning of next year. So be sure to like I mentioned, subscribe and drop a rating as well. That just helps other people be able to find this conversation. On today's episode we're talking with Jason dunnes. He is the general manager I Leilani is on the beach in Lahaina on Maui that's on the west side, you can find les lonnis by simply going to leonese.com. On a recent trip over to Maui Jason I grabbed some time to talk about his journey to the island of Maui.
• 2:18
  Bryan Murphy: And his role at Leilani is and how that has evolved over time.
• 2:22
  Bryan Murphy: Now during our chat as we overlook kaanapali Beach, we were greeted by multiple pods of dolphins and some epic shorebreak. And these are moments that I just had to leave in this conversation. So during our chat, we were interrupted a couple of times and I just wanted to share that experience with you. As Roz it was just all the activity that we're experiencing there on kondapalli. So let's go ahead and let's talk story with Jason from Leilani is on the beach.
• 3:01
  Bryan Murphy: Jason Welcome to Hawaii's Best how are you doing?
• 3:03
  Unknown: Oh, doing good man.
• 3:03
  Unknown: Stoke. Yeah, thanks a lot for having me, man. Really excited to do it?
• 3:08
  Bryan Murphy: Absolutely. Yeah.
• 3:08
  Bryan Murphy: What's your role here at Leilani?
• 3:10
  Unknown: I'm the general manager here at Levi's. And so yeah, I've been with Ts for just over 21 years now. So just super blessed and really stoked to be a part of something real special. You know, I started off at hula grill, our sister restaurant next door, as a busboy back in 1998. Um, you know, a little while ago, it was a little while ago, man, it definitely was. So yeah, I kind of just graduated from college and, and finished and was just coming out to spend the summer with one of my best friends and, you know, for three months, and here we are 21 years later. So you probably hear that story quite a bit. But yeah, I've been real fortunate. So you know, if it wasn't for landing here with TFS I don't know if I would have stuck around. So I got really, really lucky that I got in the right environment.
• 3:52
  Bryan Murphy: So TFS is kind of the parent company of a few different they are
• 3:56
  Unknown: Yeah, ts restaurants, Hawaii and California. So yeah, so we've we've got our restaurants here on Maui. We've got ourselves we have little grill chemos down aloha aina which is our flagship restaurant. We also have deixa Maui up in North Beach, and we've got Dukes Waikiki, which everybody knows about. Once Yeah, definitely got to do that.
• 4:15
  Unknown: We have the grill right upstairs from there. Then we've got cookies and kowai and Dukes and kawhia also, okay, got a restaurants in California. So all right, yeah.
• 4:24
  Bryan Murphy: So now you might
• 4:24
  Unknown: downplaying the Cali guys, man.
• 4:28
  Bryan Murphy: 98 he came over and 98 so what was life like before? 98
• 4:32
  Unknown: I Oh, well, I went to college in Oregon. Um, I played baseball in college. So yeah, I was. Yeah, my my intent was to graduate college and teach and coach and Okay, you know, in which I say I'm coaching. Yeah, but also coaching and teaching here too. You know, so I definitely still get to do what I love, you know? Yeah. But yeah, so the plane days were over and, you know, trying to figure out what was going to be next.
• 4:56
  Bryan Murphy: Obviously, you found some sort of love and passion Even in the hula girl that you've worked in the restaurant industry for this long and now managing lonnis How is that journey? And what have you fallen in love with in this place in this line of work,
• 5:12
  Unknown: man? Well, it's really the people first of all, you know, and I, and I'm just a people person, just, you know, I was once told you make your world as small as you want it to be, you know, and so just sitting down next to the stranger and saying, Hi, you know, and, but so the industry just kind of, you know, I gravitated to it because of that, you know, I love the energy of it, you know, something different every day, kind of like, we will be called the high speed cruise control, you know, just not knowing really what to expect. But really, it was the people that gravitated me to the industry.
• 5:40
  Unknown: You know, I just enjoyed it, it provided a real flexible lifestyle, you know, so that was really cool, too. And once I got here doing it, like, in this location, right on the water, which was such an unreal company was, I mean, I really thought I had my dream job as a busboy back in 1998. No, I, I wasn't really thinking about anything else. I was blown away that, you know, where I grew up, and kind of my whole journey, like, I ended up here on Maui, you know, doing what I was doing. So that was it was a lot of pinch me moments, for sure. It still is.
• 6:07
  Unknown: So yeah,
• 6:09
  Bryan Murphy: obviously, this location. I mean, we're like, literally, on the beach. Yeah, let alone on the beach. It's literally on the beach,
• 6:16
  Unknown: on the beach. Good enough. You can you can throw a rock in the ocean, you know. So, yeah, we're really fortunate.
• 6:23
  Unknown: very fortunate to me, we have one of the most beautiful locations, you know, definitely in the state if not in the world, you know, so when people do get here, it's I think you can see it on the website and and pictures and hear about it, when you actually sit up here and take a look at it. It's, you know, it's, it's, it's a postcard moment, you know, this has been the backdrop for thousands and thousands of Christmas cards, you know, so yeah, it's
• 6:45
  Bryan Murphy: beautiful. Now, how did this all start with a
• 6:49
  Unknown: lot of us open up in 1982? Okay, um, so this was no Rob table and Sandy Saxon, our founders who, man, they're, they're no longer with us, but their, their vibe, their mana, their, you know, their Aloha, you know, their legacy just lives on strong just in the culture of our company. And, and you really can't fill them in the buildings, you know, there's, there's something about our restaurants that when you walk into it, you know, you're in a t s restaurant, but you know, just started with a friendship with with those two and grew into what it is today.
• 7:15
  Unknown: You know, they first opened up chemos That was our first restaurant, our flagship restaurant, and, you know, one thing led to another, you know, and one of their big things was location, you know, is, you know, in any of our any of our restaurants, whether they be in Hawaii, or California locations are prime. So, you know, they really committed to making sure that was going to be a foundation for for opening up new restaurants and, and it served us really well. But we also know, we can't just sit back on our location alone, we still got to deliver. Yeah, no, we like to say here that, you know, you're, it's the Major Leagues of the restaurant industry. You know, it's kind of like playing for the Yankees, you know, the expectations are high and kaanapali Beach has got voted best beach in Hawaii. And, you know, and, and it's been voted best beach in the world, you know, so many times, so to be in this prime location, that that, you know, there's a lot of expectations, you know, and rightfully so. But the pressure is a privilege. Right? So yeah, you know, it means it means we're doing something right. So we we welcome it, and, you know, we feel like and we deliver, yeah, on a consistent basis, not just here, they've on these, but every one of our restaurants. So now,
• 8:19
  Bryan Murphy: obviously, creating a great experience, great location, great food, great drinks, there's also a whole other component of that is being respectful, and sharing the Hawaiian culture with everything you do. I mean, that's a unique thing to the Hawaiian Islands. How is Leilani is doing that
• 8:37
  Unknown: in a number of ways.
• 8:37
  Unknown: But But you're absolutely right, any successful business in the State of Hawaii has, has made sure to pay respect to the culture to the arena, you know, and doing things the right way.
• 8:46
  Unknown: It goes so much deeper than you know, than the decor, you know, or, and things of that nature.
• 8:53
  Unknown: You know, it's really about making sure you instill those values in your people. Most people that work in the hospitality industry aren't from Hawaii, you know, so they, you know, they found their way here just like I did, and, and those that really enjoy it and really get the most out of it are the ones that have really taken the time to learn about, you know, the place that they live and the culture. What's great about working for our company that's just instilled in everything we do. And and so when you do become an employee, you know, are part of our ohana you know, with Ts with Aidan, he's in the beach. It's something that you recognize right away is different than probably most of the places you've worked at. You know, so whether it's a respect for the culture, and even just teaching our staff about the Hawaiian culture, you know, it might be through you know, teamwork through you know, taking them out on an outrigger canoe, you know, the importance of everybody working together, just so you know, which is you know, if you moved here from Wisconsin, and you're now in an outrigger canoe because you got this job right on the beach, and you know, you're paddling in the Pacific Ocean and learning about teamwork. You know, you're gonna recognize pretty I'm getting chicken skin, check it out about it, you know, that you're in a in a pretty special situation, you know, just our respect to the line in terms of just making sure our sustainability, you know, I mean, and protecting our wonderful oceans that we love, I mean, that's our playground, you know, so we know we have a responsibility to make sure that we're, we're keeping it clean, we're taking care of it, we're educating, yeah, you know, we're also, you know, at the forefront of our industry and making sure that we're doing the right thing and making good decisions, even right down to on to the type of fish that we serve, when we serve it, you know, making sure that we are doing our part to make sure that the oceans are, you know, are filled with with fish, and, you know, we're not, we're not being irresponsible without so we we do as much as we can, supporting local agriculture,
• 10:41
  Bryan Murphy: not forcing anything, just definitely serving what the land gives us,
• 10:44
  Unknown: what the land gives you, you know, I mean, and not not taking more than you need, you know, which is the Hawaiian way, you know, and, and, and just always being ready to share and to give if needed, you know, and we have chefs in all of our restaurants that that are really passionate about that which, you know, really makes a big difference. For us. It's, it's just a common shared thing, it's not even something we think about or as a goal, it's just, you know, we just know that that's the right thing to do.
• 11:07
  Unknown: And so we do it. And I think it, our guests really feel that it comes off as genuine and like I said, you feel that vibe when you walk into a restaurant, so but it's special, you know, the Hawaii is a really, really unique place. And you can come here for a week or even 10 days or two weeks. And don't get me wrong, the the obvious the ocean, you know, in all those other things are really beautiful. But when you get to know the culture, and when you really get to know the people, that's what really makes Hawaii what it is, you know,
• 12:32
  Bryan Murphy: anytime we're over here visiting, like, we feel like family. And I think one of the things that that I've found, maybe you can speak into this a little bit. Obviously, there's a lot of people who weren't born and raised here in and Maui specifically. And now they are living here, the Hawaiian culture, the wine, people are so welcoming. But you also need to come with a shoes off respect, if you will. Yeah. And learn, yes, learn the culture, but also come with a open handed respect.
• 13:02
  Bryan Murphy: Maybe you can speak into a little bit, maybe someone's coming to islands for the first time. How would you encourage someone coming visiting here with that same respect, because we talked about the Hawaiian Islands, and obviously, technically, they're part of the US and but I think there's something about like, you get a passport stamped, and you go to London, you're more aware of the culture and that Yeah, what to expect. However, the 50th state, maybe there's so much differences than just like going to Wisconsin or going to Oklahoma or whatever.
• 13:31
  Bryan Murphy: Absolutely. Speaking to that a little bit.
• 13:34
  Unknown: You're absolutely right, even the nose. One thing I like to tell people is what's cool about Hawaii is nobody here cares what you drive, what kind of clothes you wear, you know, really all that matters is how you treat people. And and I think in terms of true Hawaiian people who are welcoming, like you said, that's really all that matters. And you can you can see through that, you know, I i think you know, so. So just how you how you treat people, I think that's the most important thing when you're here. Um, you know, how are you willing to be to be unselfish and give you know, are you willing to take the time to, to learn about a tradition or a culture, but but more importantly, why? Yeah, it is the way that it is, you know, not just on the surface, yet.
• 14:13
  Unknown: It's so amazing how many people come here and forget that we're part of the United States? Yeah.
• 14:18
  Unknown: You know, and, um, you know, that some people, maybe they've been to Mexico or the Caribbean or something like that. And so, you know, they think it's kind of a free for all, but, you know, we still have laws and things of that nature. But I think, you know, in terms of advice for anybody that's that's coming to visit here. It's just like you said, Be open handed, be open minded, but really just take the time to talk to people.
• 14:39
  Unknown: Yeah, it might be it might be the the valet at your hotel, or the person at the airport, checking you in or at the rental car place or in line at the grocery store. You'd be surprised that in this place, what's unique is when you just take that time to say hello and smile, how many I don't wanna see doors, it opens but just opportunities to really is no i, or my arm. I have two brothers.
• 15:03
  Unknown: And it was God. This was a long time ago, probably 12 to 15 years ago, my little brother visited me. And I remember him calling my mom to, you know, and all excited about it. And one of the things he said he goes, mom is so cool. You walk down the street here, and people say hi, and, and his age was probably 11 or 12 at the time, but that was something he noticed. You know, we're him living and growing up in Southern California where people put their heads down and do everything. Yeah, maybe not Rogers go up or down. Yeah, you know, and so I just think it's just, it's just again, sharing that spirit, you know, so
• 15:38
  Bryan Murphy: I love that. Well, let's talk a little bit more about Leilani is if he can maybe describe what can someone expect coming here, maybe a little bit about the menu and, and those options.
• 15:48
  Unknown: Again, we have amazing chefs. You know, we have an amazing culinary team here just headed by Ryan Luckey. Who you know is, you know, grew up here in Hawaii as well on the west side. So, you know, his his commitment to the community and the island and the I know and understanding the culture is really special for us because our guests get to feel that through his and his team's cuisine. Yeah, you know, we have two different menus downstairs our beachside grill more of our, it's, I would, I guess I would call it more of a casual menu, all the food is really elevated down there in terms of our food.
• 16:17
  Unknown: Nothing too stuffy though, you know, I mean, it's super comfortable. We never want it to be an intimidating experience for people, you know. But the food is amazing. downstairs, were one of the one of the leaders in bringing craft beer to to Hawaii and especially the west side, which has now become pretty industry standard. So we've got 18 tats downstairs of things that you'll only get here. I'm supporting a lot of local breweries, you know, Maui Brewing Company. And and what Gary has done has been awesome.
• 16:42
  Unknown: We've had a long standing relationship with Kona Brewing Company. Now we've got on Kahala, which is here, you know, on on inliner, which is doing an amazing job as well. So we feel like our concept speaks to everybody. And that's one thing we really, really take a lot of pride in, you know, it's, we think there's something cool about coming in here and your board shorts, and sitting upstairs and having, you know, having fresh wine fish, or primary ever lobster, and overlooking the ocean, you know, and when people call outs, like, was there a dress code, it's like, just make sure you have a shirt on, you have shoes on. And there's nothing unique about that, you know, because we want it to be, and not not that you can't come in here and get dressed up and celebrate a special occasion. Because we get that all the time, too. We want it to be for everybody, you know, the meaning has been a lot of emphasis is placed on fresh local ingredients on, you know, just consistent execution and high quality. Also, just making sure our staff and our people, you know, can confidently and describe our mini tour, I guess yeah, because we really want people to come and maybe who they're, you know, a lot of the ingredients in our menu are pretty foreign or, or even at times hard to pronounce. You know, and so, you know, you'll see people like pointing out it, you know, yeah, and, and, and we want to, we want to help guide those people into something that maybe they normally wouldn't have tried out, you know, and, you know, try something else or grab that or, you know, ask questions. And so we just try to really, we always say we're welcoming people into our home, you know, and so how would you treat your guests, if you're throwing a party at home, you know, well, the first thing you do is you make sure the place is clean, right? You clean it all up. And, you know, you make sure you got everything dialed in, you get to the store, make sure you bought, you know, the best ingredients you possibly could for the food that was on the menu that night, you know, you probably go out and maybe get a new outfit because you want to look sharp, you know, that's kind of our uniform, right? And then, you know, once they arrive, the first thing you do is right at the door greeting everybody with a smile. Yeah, you know, and you're making sure they're, they're comfortable, they know where everything's at, here's the restroom, you know, whatever you guys need, I got you, you know, and then while they're here you're checking on and making sure they got everything they need. And when they leave you thank them and invite them to come back again.
• 18:41
  Unknown: And yeah, we're just doing that, like 1400 times a day. No, and that's kind of what it is, you know, you're we're welcoming you into our home, we want it to feel like a home, we want it to be comfortable, you see some of the furniture and, and the way it was designed to feel like that, you know, and, and that's really what it is. And we know there's a lot of restaurants here and people can choose to go anywhere. So we feel really blessed and privileged when they choose us. And so we want to make sure we hold up our end of the bargain, you know, and, and we always feel like if we can get them in the door that ours for life, you know, ours for life, you know, I mean, it is about the food, but you said it earlier, we it's about the entire experience for us. And again, it goes back to our culture. And what Robin Sandy said years ago, and what has been kept alive through you know, through all of our, you know, leaders and, and people that have had influence in our company. And that's really just that entire experience, you know, is, is just making sure people have a good time. If you don't have a genuine feeling for stoking people out then you're in the wrong business, for sure.
• 19:39
  Unknown: But forever and ever what it will always be our competitive advantages our people. Yeah. And we seem to attract the best people, our training programs and systems are super tight. But again, it goes back to our culture, right cultural Trump operations any day of the week.
• 19:53
  Unknown: And yeah, when people come in here, I think they fill that in like, wow, this is, this is cool, man. I can I can I can dig this. I can hang out here for a little while. And, you know, we get people that come back 234 times during their one week vacation, you know, and then we get people who find us in there last year. And I like Ah, I wish we would have came here sooner.
• 20:10
  Unknown: You know. And we love that so yeah,
• 20:13
  Bryan Murphy: no, just looking around. It feels it's it's this kind of sophisticated, yet relaxed yet homey vibe. Like it's not too stuffy. It's not trying too hard. Yeah, like it feels like you could just hang here.
• 20:26
  Unknown: Yeah, you can't. Yeah, you can't. It's a great place to hang. Yeah, you know, yeah, you can you can just hang here, you know, and it's got a lot to you know, we've got live music every day, you know, from three to five o'clock. So we've got everything from really traditional Hawaiian music.
• 20:39
  Unknown: Yeah. To reggae to Joe wion you know, and then we have we have a day where it's like, We're a group named JD on the rocks has been playing here for years.
• 20:46
  Unknown: They become a staple. It's all like, it's classic rock and, you know, and Freebird no Cypress, it's a whole different crowd.
• 20:53
  Unknown: And yeah, you know, it's just it's really cool. Like We appeal to so many different people. And that's important to us that no matter no matter who you are what you do that you feel like you can come in here and feel really comfortable and part in, like, like part of the ohana, you know, and just sit and hang like you said,
• 21:09
  Bryan Murphy: Yeah, what are some of your favorite dishes here? Currently,
• 21:12
  Unknown: we're well known for our fish tacos. They've been voted best on the island for years. I'm seeing you guys nod your head. I'm assuming our daughter daughter, right? And you probably look forward to having him after we're done.
• 21:22
  Unknown: This tacos are unreal. Yeah, um, as much as I tried not to eat him. It's hard not to because they're that good. And, you know, people ask me all the time, like, what are some of my favorites, and I really do love everything on the menu. Yeah, upstairs, oh, our fresh wine fish is unreal, you know, you're not gonna you're not gonna get it any fresher anywhere else in the world, the sound in my in my opinion, you won't, and just what our what our chefs do with with that delicate product is amazing. You know, and it really not doing too much to it letting letting the fish speaks for itself, you know, and because you can, you can drown it in a bunch of sauce or salted butter.
• 21:54
  Unknown: And who doesn't like that, right. But we really, we really believe in the in the quality of our product. And we don't want to hide that, you know, under a sauce or anything like that. And they do here is really to accompany the natural flavor of the protein, whether it be the the quality of beef that we get, or the fish that we get or, you know, any of the shell fish or seafood that we have as well yeah, three out of every 10 people that come in this restaurant order fish tacos. I mean, that's how that's how prominent an item is. And that's what we become known for.
• 22:18
  Unknown: Upstairs, we've got a cracker parmesan crusted preparation for fish that's been on the menu since day one, okay, you know, we're still one of the old, the only restaurants that still serve prime rib and crab legs.
• 22:31
  Unknown: And it's funny, every time food tastings come up, we kind of think like, Man, it's a time it's a time, but you know, it's important to to be thinking about where you want to go, Yeah, but you also have to remember what made you who you are, you know, and, and again, that kind of goes back to you. I think some restaurants either don't think through their involvement, you know, or what they want to do, and maybe change too quickly, too fast.
• 22:53
  Unknown: And forget about the people that made them who they are, you know, so for us, what's really important is that, for those people that have been coming here since 1982, that when they walk in here, they still feel that same vibe, and those menu items, or some of those menu items are still on the menu, you know, and then we do have to be thinking about how do we get another, you know, 37 years out of it. So we do have to evolve our concept and our menu, but I think we have something that appeals to everybody. That's always a big fear, too. And, you know, our guests have been coming here for a long time, then walking in here. And because the worst thing they could ever say is like, man, it just doesn't feel the same anymore. Right? You know, that that hurts, like, Ah, you know, so we really work hard to make sure we're, we're being thoughtful, delicate balance
• 23:35
  Bryan Murphy: there,
• 23:35
  Unknown: there really is no, there's a delicate balance because our, the industry has become more and more competitive. And, you know, we used to be the only ones doing what we do. And there are a number of restaurants out there now that are you know, Hawaiian regional cuisine or are emphasizing, you know, the fresh Hawaiian fish and you can walk up and down this beach, and you'll, it'll look like a copy and paste of our menu on a lot of menu boards, you know, and, but that also, you know, leads to the fresh ingredients that are available. But you're right, it is a balance between making sure we're evolving, we're staying current with industry trends, peeling to a new guess, which will we'll have to continue to capture. But while still being true to who we are.
• 24:16
  Unknown: No, and some of those people do walk in here, but that's the thing too. We always say, you know, even if we do make a menu change or remove an item, we're still they lonnis Yeah, even here like we have we have guests have been coming here for years.
• 24:28
  Unknown: And have you know, love those menu items that are on the menu anymore, but we'll make them fun.
• 24:32
  Bryan Murphy: Yeah, that's cool.
• 24:32
  Bryan Murphy: Like if Jesse secret word totally
• 24:36
  Unknown: Yeah, Sandy call. We do that we do that. I mean, I'm probably probably taking a big risk, like saying this on a podcast. You know, we don't have certain liquors anymore. But you know, when certain people call, we know that we're gonna bring in a bottle of Beefeater Gin, whether here we're gonna be bringing a bottle of wild turkey. Yeah, we're gonna bring in another light for you, even though we don't normally sell it, you know? Or, hey, we'll make sure that we have that tuna melt that used to love, you know, I mean, or we'll do the stir fry that used to love because that's important, you know, and that might just be a couple or, you know, one individual, but you know, that we're that place for that individual. You know, we don't ever want one, I want them to go someplace else, you know, so,
• 25:18
  Bryan Murphy: I mean, what you're talking about is serving loving people with Aloha, how does it how do you lead your team with aloha at the forefront of it? Um, you know, I, it's, it's
• 25:29
  Unknown: not hard to do, because I just feel like it's who I am.
• 25:32
  Unknown: You know, I'm a big believer that leadership needs to be genuine. You know, and so people can smell it, right. Yeah, I think so. I mean, I just come into work every day just stoked and excited about what I'm doing. And it's because I enjoy what I do. You know, I enjoy the people that I work with. And, um, you know, I enjoy meeting new people and making new friends and, you know, I enjoy you know, just watching like a family. Yeah, I mean, just smiling like having a great time, you know, or, or getting go out there during an unbelievable sunset and take a family photo for them, you know, because you know, somebody had to take her right. So dad's getting left out, it's usually daddy. Yeah, Mom and the kids get in there, running out there really fast so I can get that photo for them. So they have that memory. And it really is just about stoking people out.
• 26:15
  Unknown: Yeah, and, but but again, just leading with that aloha spirit.
• 26:19
  Unknown: It's just making sure we establish that right off the bat. And when we're hiring people, we tell them, we're just we're looking for personalities, all I'm trying to do is find somebody that will fit into our culture, if possible, make it better. You know, we can't teach enthusiasm. I can't teach Aloha, I can't I can't teach those things. You know, so if you bring those things with you, we can teach you how to do everything else. Sure. And you'll be really successful, it'll probably be the best job you've ever had. It'll be fulfilling and rewarding in so many more ways than the money that you leave in the pocket, you know, and, and you'll make lifelong friends doing it. And that's what's really cool, because we have 200 people in this building alone. Really, yeah, so a little over 200 employees, roughly in the 90s on the beach alone. And and I see people cry all the time, when they leave this job, it's because they're gonna miss the people that they worked with.
• 27:09
  Unknown: And, and that's a cool part of what I get to do also is watching people succeed and go on and, and do new things, you know, or come back to visit and now they've got their family started. And are they tell you man, I learned so much when I was
• 27:19
  Bryan Murphy: here and see that's a marker. Great Leader. I know, just keeping people know, people.
• 27:24
  Unknown: Definitely, definitely, you know, and but I've been fortunate enough to have really, really patient and really great mentors myself. You know, I mean, Oren Krause, our general manager next door, who the grill oak has been, like a father to me here, you know, and, and, you know, really set the standard for what a leader should be, you know, people like Peter Merriman, and, you know, Tammy fukagawa, and just so many more, you know, on in our company that, that just really given a lot to me. Yeah, you know, and it's really the time, you know, they've given their time, you know, and so, how do you not pay for it after that, you know, but I had really good examples. So and I got a really great team.
• 28:01
  Unknown: So it's, it's not too hard to do.
• 28:04
  Bryan Murphy: That's great. So how do you unplug and what are some of your kind of maybe hobbies and stuff that you can unwind? Obviously, we got this amazing Yeah. Beach in front of
• 28:13
  Unknown: you. But we do. Yeah.
• 28:13
  Unknown: And we're lucky to have like, in my opinion, the world's greatest playground, right. So but now I mean, I've got I've got kids now. So yeah, what do you see?
• 28:24
  Unknown: whale?
• 28:25
  Bryan Murphy: dolphin. Oh, there it is.
• 28:29
  Unknown: Anytime, anytime a podcast is is spontaneously interrupted by a pod of dolphins. Oh, yeah. We can hear it.
• 28:41
  Bryan Murphy: Yeah, so you guys get to experience firsthand.
• 28:44
  Bryan Murphy: Leilani is on the beach.
• 28:44
  Bryan Murphy: Dolphins flipping in the air.
• 28:47
  Bryan Murphy: It's not guaranteed though.
• 28:49
  Unknown: Yeah, but you know what, you guys it's a highly must have good karma. Because they're came they came to say hi to you guys. So right. All that matters is how you treat people.
• 28:57
  Unknown: Right? So you guys have obviously been good to everybody since you've been here. So the dolphins are saying what's up? I mean, but even just that it's a perfect example. Like when you're sitting here all of a sudden, like, No, wait, wait, you know, it's kinda like whale season when the whales come in super close. And they're breaching or you know, they're they're spotting it says,
• 29:15
  Bryan Murphy: It's unreal. We've taken in whale season on a wahoo. Before, but I keep hearing stories about whale season, right here.
• 29:25
  Unknown: Oh, well. Sounds epic.
• 29:25
  Unknown: Yeah, he tells this guy like he saw it too, right? He's, yeah, he's jam. He goes up. I want to get I want to get a little closer. Now that is showing off looking. I'm oh my goodness, it none of this ever gets old for me. Yeah. And it never does. You know, and I think my mom once told me, you know, some people save a lifetime for one week there. And you're lucky enough to be able to live there. Don't ever take it for granted. It's true. You know. And, um, and, you know, I
• 29:51
  Bryan Murphy: try to live by that advice always. And he talks about making memories. I mean, that's one of the only things that we keep with us for a lifetime,
• 29:58
  Unknown: isn't it? Yeah, you're absolutely right. You know, and, um, and it is really, it's, it's, it's for me, it's the people that I meet, you know, yeah. I've met thousands and thousands of people, you know, since I've been working for the company, but it's amazing, you know, and how many people you know, come back and they come to say, Hi, every year I get to watch their families grow, you know, just, it's really, really cool.
• 30:20
  Bryan Murphy: So what are some of those activities for you? For me? Well, um,
• 30:23
  Unknown: I've got kids. So really, yeah, a lot of a lot of my time is for them. You know, I coach, I coach girls basketball here at line Luna High School, which is the local high school.
• 30:32
  Unknown: And I also, you know, Coach middle school kids, but I also do free training sessions on the weekends. You know, so I've got kids from ages six, all the way up to you know, well, the girls that are coming home from college and the summers all the way up to the 20s you know, so yeah, you know, I've been an athlete my whole life. So I love sports. But, you know, being able to give back to the community is on has been really, really special. For me. Being a general manager here. That's probably the greatest thing is providing It is a platform to give back to the community.
• 30:57
  Unknown: Okay, which I love this West Maui Latina community, it's so special, it's so unique. Um, so you know, as much as I can, you know, I'm doing that, you know, whether it be you know, whether it be serving on the board of directors with the Boys and Girls Club, or, you know, or coaching, you know, or just trying to spend time with my family. That's what I spend the majority of my time doing getting in the water whenever I can, which isn't as much as it used to be. Yeah, you know, huh.
• 31:21
  Unknown: But, uh, but definitely doing that, and just just being outside and being outdoors, you know, and, and trying to be selfish about my time with my family, you know, and having a few beers with the boys when at all possible. So,
• 31:36
  Bryan Murphy: yeah, recognizing the season you're in?
• 31:37
  Unknown: Yeah, yeah, it is, you know, and it is definitely that and, and just, I'm just trying to pump the brakes. I've always been a gas pedal guy, you know.
• 31:44
  Unknown: So some more recent, I'm trying to pump the brakes and slow things down. And, you know, cuz you can make every excuse in the world and I do something, right, yeah. But once you finally get together and have a beer with one of your friends that you haven't hung out with in a couple of months, like, Well, that wasn't really that hard to figure out. You know, sometimes it's just making a right turn instead of a left turn, you know, figuring out those priorities. It is, you know, it is and it's easy to get caught up in the grind with work and things like that, you know, and again, not that I don't enjoy it, but just trying to be like you said, aware of the moment and where you're at. And you know, and, you know, sometimes it's just picking up the phone, you know, yeah,
• 32:19
  Bryan Murphy: I'm sure as a leader, you're always trying to respect the moment where everything is that currently and having that gratitude?
• 32:25
  Bryan Murphy: Absolutely. But also, you're looking forward. Vision wise, yeah. What is lonnis look like moving forward? What are some things you're excited about?
• 32:34
  Unknown: You know, we just renovated our dining room upstairs. So we've been open for just over a year now, I'm excited about the, you know, the new crop of employees, we've got, yeah, you know, which, which are, they're awesome. You know, I mean, they've been inspiring, and they're just wide eyed and excited. So definitely, definitely excited about, about them, I've got an amazing management team, with, you know, veteran leaders who are really embracing the changes in our industry and evolving, so I'm excited to see where they go with their careers. But they're also setting great examples for the young group of managers that we got to, but I think just just concept wise, we just keep getting better every single year, you know, and it blows me away. Because it takes a lot of hard work and the amount of people that we have working here, I've been fortunate to surround myself with people that are better than me, and a lot of the you know, I'm and just doing what I can to get to know them, and to find out what drives them and how I can support their personal and professional goals.
• 33:29
  Unknown: Because that's really this restaurant on the go as far as its leadership team, you know, and so whether it be the culinary team, or the managers that we have here, but just in terms of where we're headed, we're doing more and more in the community, you know, just the things we're doing with the Surfrider Foundation, and being an ocean friendly restaurant and, and using our arm using our standing as as a restaurant company, and one of the top restaurant companies, if not the top restaurant company in the state, to make sure our voices heard and that we're influencing the industry. And we're setting good examples and no even breaking ground in other areas.
• 34:03
  Unknown: But probably the thing I'm most excited about is our legacy of aloha program. So it's a shared by by our entire company, call it legacy of Aloha, but it's really our platform for supporting, giving, educating ourselves or, or people about organizations that share our same values. You know, so whether it be you know, whether it be, you know, committing to the keiki of the, you know, of the future, protecting our oceans, and our and our beautiful, I know, in our environments that, you know, we're fortunate enough to have these restaurants in, you know, it's, um, it's honoring our kupuna, you know, and the people that came before us that are carrying on those traditions and in our teaching and storytelling, and still sharing their knowledge. That's what I'm really most excited about, that I work for a company that has out of the forefront, you know, so there's really exciting things on the horizon for for individual restaurants for us as a company, but, you know, makes you feel really proud. You know, I'm already proud to work for this company, just as is and as was, you know, what? Yeah, but the fact that we are always trying, not just always trying to find ways that we can be better. We're always trying to find ways like what what else can we do? Can we do more? You know, can we do more for our employees, we just recently as part of our legacy of aloha program, started giving scholarships to our staff, you know, um, you know, our board of directors and our, our chairman of the board, Susie Saxon, who is the daughter of one of our founders on Sadie Sachs and we were doing so much in our communities and you continue to be she's like, wow, we could do more for our own style.
• 35:36
  Bryan Murphy: I would assume a lot of your staff is in college.
• 35:39
  Bryan Murphy: Yeah,
• 35:39
  Unknown: high school, college, you know, and so we, you know, so we started giving out scholarships, you know, and that's been a really cool thing to do. You know, and I'm so just the fact that we are giving back you know, because I think Robin Sandy recognized years ago, that this community, you opened its arms to them. And I think they realized right away that they had an obligation or responsibility to give back to the community to be aware of the community to honor the traditions to honor the culture.
• 36:05
  Unknown: And that stayed with us till today. And now we're just taking it to a whole nother level, you know, so.
• 36:15
  Bryan Murphy: So I'm sure if someone's listening to this right now, they're like, I'm coming to Maui. I'm making my way over to Leilani. Yeah, no questions. Yeah, I'm there. Do you got to make reservations?
• 36:24
  Bryan Murphy: Can you just walk up? Or is there happy hour, maybe some of those logistics?
• 36:30
  Unknown: Yeah, so So there's all of it. So um, so we have, so we call it a little higher here instead of OPR, which, which is really close down. And so that's when three to five o'clock every day. So we have live music every day, from three to five o'clock.
• 36:42
  Unknown: We have an unreal, Aloha, our menu on that chef has put a lot of attention into items you can only get during those during those two hours.
• 36:51
  Bryan Murphy: So our markdown prices, it's like
• 36:53
  Unknown: yeah, yeah, cuz I think you can go anywhere and you know, they could knock knock five bucks off or whatever. But we're like, you know, we want to we want to have some fun incentive to Yes. Yeah. And you know, and hopefully have some favorites. I can only get them from three to five so I gotta make sure I get there. Um, you know, we have you know, we do discount you know, some of our you know, our my Thai shirt Margarita has. We have our Leilani lemonade, which is a staple cocktail here, as well as our you know, some of our draft beers as well. So, and one thing we don't do, it's not, it's like we just, you know, discount our domestic jobs. How's that? Huh?
• 37:26
  Bryan Murphy: Yeah, it is.
• 37:26
  Bryan Murphy: Picking up.
• 37:28
  Unknown: You got to get in the show. Yeah, dolphins, you got some killer shorebreak um,
• 37:34
  Bryan Murphy: someone's on the raft out there. Just like I don't know what happened.
• 37:37
  Unknown: No, it's kind of you know, watch somebody get it soon. Hopefully not. But the worst is when like, mom's got the kids out there with their bow. Shannon, but you never want to do ever want to do ever want to do right tip one on one right there. Yeah, trying to get the perfect picture. And yeah, and your boy gets smacked you know, like the
• 37:58
  Bryan Murphy: keiki getting surf lessons right there. Yeah, to pop up. And yeah, cool. Right here. Right I love about this stretch of the beach is there's some quote unquote Waikiki vias, where, you know, you can learn how to surf and you can do the outrigger and all that, but it's it's this whole very warm, close vibe.
• 38:18
  Unknown: It is you know, you it's funny when they first started doing surf lessons here.
• 38:20
  Unknown: Yeah, we kind of were like, Oh, this is gonna you know, it's gonna turn into Waikiki before I know it. But you know, I've actually never heard anyone put it the way you did. And it is still going on. But it's still at a Maui pace. It
• 38:33
  Bryan Murphy: feels like you know, it
• 38:35
  Unknown: is saw the Maui pace, you know, so we have a great relationship with with the surf school next door. And, you know, it's again, it's a tight knit community. So we've all known each other for a really long time. But yeah, it's cool. And I get the surf lessons. And again, this kind of goes back to you, you got to really like put yourself in your guests shoes.
• 38:52
  Unknown: Right. Sure. And, you know, in their mind, again, we're going to Hawaii, they've got this perfect vision of how every single hour is going to play out. Yeah, you know, and, and it's important to remember that we play not just a role, and we don't just contribute to to their, you know, lunch or dinner, right, but like to their entire family experience, you know, that we're going to be a part of that, whether it be through a memory, like you said, or, or through a photo or even a negative experience, you know, so on which from time to time may happen, but, you know, but people always leave here stoked.
• 39:23
  Unknown: Yeah, I mean, so we're gonna make a mistake from time to time, but we always make a genuine effort to make it right.
• 39:28
  Unknown: But But yeah, there is a lot going on, you know, the alohar menu is unreal. And downstairs, one of the things we really wanted to do is, we're always thinking like, what can we provide that other people can't, you know, not just proprietary to us, but you know, what do people want and, and so even downstairs, it's not like you're gonna come in and just get domestic draft beers at a discounted price we have, I mean, it's almost all of our beers. So you can come in and you can have, you know, a locally brewed beer that you can't get anywhere else on aloha or price. And I mean, you might get a one, you know, something from the streets Brewing Company. And if you're, you know, if you're super loyal to Oregon, you're like, Alright, you know, and we have some of our favorites. I'm, I'm a beer guy. So I one of the one of the perks, I guess, is putting your favorite beers on Yeah, on top, but but we love our alohar we think it's a great program. And then in terms of reservations downstairs in our beside Well, that's our separate menu. That's all first come first serve.
• 40:16
  Unknown: Okay, so don't take reservations there. But we do accept reservations upstairs in our dining room. They're definitely recommended. But we also recognize that you know, when you're on Maui, and you're on vacation in Hawaii, yeah, you know, hopefully, hopefully, people get out of plan everything mode. Yeah, so we do understand that, you know, there's going to be some some impulsive, hey, let's go to Leilani. So we're just cruising around and, and so we make sure that we have tables available for those people also, you know, you may walk into a little bit of a way but we got an unreal bar, you know, to hang out out.
• 40:43
  Unknown: There's an awesome shopping center, or there's just a beautiful beach. That site, which is you know, the ultimate waiting room. So, um, so yeah, so we it's definitely Definitely not hard to get in here for dinner, you know,
• 40:58
  Bryan Murphy: unless you're upstairs open,
• 40:59
  Unknown: we open up at five a dinner upstairs. 445 to 930. And then downstairs, we're 11 to 11.
• 41:04
  Unknown: Okay,
• 41:06
  Bryan Murphy: yeah. Oh, well, Jason, thank you so much for your time, man, this is amazing.
• 41:09
  Bryan Murphy: Anything else that you would love to add about? Leilani? Is there anything we didn't cover?
• 41:14
  Unknown: Yeah, I just mean, come see us. You know, if you've never been here before, then I mean, you won't be disappointed.
• 41:20
  Unknown: And again, it's not just about the food and the beverage that's hands down, I'm going to be some of the best you've ever had. But just come feel the aloha spirit and the vibe. Now you got a helicopter? Yeah, getting all of it, man. Just, you know, we really, I just want people to feel it, I feel when they come in here, you know, and they will we do come in here. And if, again, if you really want to feel what the aloha spirit is, and what it represents, and, and that unreal, welcoming vibe, a place where you can just come like you said, and hang out this is it? Yeah, no, it really is.
• 41:46
  Unknown: And, you know, and by supporting us, you, you know, you allow us to continue to support the community and our legacy of aloha programs as well. But, um, you know, I like to think that, you know, we our values, you know, right at the core and, and, and the things that we're doing, you know, run consistent with a lot of our visitors values and, and I think that's what people are looking for two companies that share their same their same vision, the same likes, you know, they can feel like they're a part of being a part of something. So, yeah, yeah, come join the auto and so there's always there's always room. So
• 42:16
  Bryan Murphy: yeah, one more thing about this us we're sitting I mean, obviously, the turquoise ocean is beautiful, but you got the 90 and you got Molokai II just kind of, you know, greeting you staring at you. I mean, this view is is Maui, right,
• 42:30
  Unknown: it is it is Maui song in and you kind of laid it out, right. But when you again, I try not to take it for granted. But even like you can see the pine tree you see how clear it is a pine cheese on the top of Oh, yeah, you can see that, you know, so there. I mean, when you think about it, you're sitting on one of the most beautiful islands in the world staring at two other beautiful islands, which have their own culture and mastery, you know, you know, in themselves, you know, and beautiful Pacific Ocean, there's dolphins, you got sea shorebreak. You know, there's, you know, Mom and Dad, I mean, they're so excited because the kids are learning how to serve, which is something probably they've been talking about, since I knew they're coming to Hawaii. You know, it just is, um, it's really, really, really special.
• 43:11
  Bryan Murphy: What I love about food and Leilani is, it's all about gathering right food, it kind of breaks down those walls, and you can experience everything that's around you as well,
• 43:19
  Unknown: you can I think that's, again, a big part of the Hawaiian culture and probably many cultures is that any chance to get together and celebrate, you're right, but it's all about, it's all about food and music, and, you know, and drinking and friendships and laughing and creating memories.
• 43:35
  Unknown: And that's it shouldn't be too much different hanging out here than it is going to be hanging out in somebody's garage or back door hanging, you know, having a good time and bring this vibe back home with you bring that vibe back home, you know, and hopefully we can be a place where you can come and read and be like, Alright, man, I can kind of relax a little bit. I can kind of loosen up a little bit, you know, nobody again, nobody here cares what you look like what you drive or what you're wearing. And all it matters is how you treat people.
• 43:59
  Unknown: And if you if you show up to Maui, especially the awnings with a big smile on your face.
• 44:02
  Unknown: Yeah, you know, then you're gonna get that back tenfold. And you're really gonna, you're really truly going to experience what the aloha spirit is beautiful,
• 44:12
  Bryan Murphy: Jason Now we could hang out here all day. This is great. Well, you're
• 44:16
  Unknown: more than welcome to man, you're more than welcome to
• 44:18
  Bryan Murphy: How can people get connected with les lonnis and find you guys when you
• 44:21
  Unknown: can definitely find us on our website, you know, www.sedar.com on, you know, you can pick up the phone, believe it or not, people don't do that very often, you know, 86614495 you can always give us a call.
• 44:32
  Unknown: But obviously all the information you would ever need about our restaurant is on the website included, you know, large parties, banquets, anything like that, but
• 44:42
  Bryan Murphy: and I'll throw that on the show notes and all the layouts.
• 44:45
  Unknown: Just Yeah, we're ocean front of way this village, you know, kaanapali Beach, you know, on the west side of Maui, you know? Yeah, yeah. Come check us out.
• 44:53
  Bryan Murphy: I appreciate you.
• 44:53
  Bryan Murphy: And thank you so much for your time today. Absolutely.
• 44:57
  Unknown: You guys right on.
• 44:57
  Unknown: Hello, hello.
• 44:59
  Bryan Murphy: Well, I just want to thank Jason again for his time, and his hospitality from his amazing staff as well. If you're going to Maui you definitely gonna want to check out Leilani he's, the food is amazing drinks are amazing. The views are epic, but the vibe and just the feel the place is world class. I can't wait to head back over to Maui soon and be able to catch up with everyone there.
• 45:23
  Bryan Murphy: Leilani is well again, thank you so much for your valuable time.
• 45:26
  Bryan Murphy: And I hope that you've found this conversation with Jason from Leilani. He's on the beach, entertaining, valuable. I hope it brought some joy to your day.
• 45:37
  Bryan Murphy: And if it did, I would love for you to go ahead and just drop a rating review and hit subscribe.
• 45:40
  Bryan Murphy: And until next time, be well.
• 45:45
  Bryan Murphy: Aloha.
• 45:50
  Hawaii's Best: Thanks for listening to Hawaii's Best podcasts. Stay up to date on future episodes. Be sure to To hit the subscribe button and find us at live Hawaii's best.com