Two young ladies wait outside Kona's Coffee in Ota City, Japan. Inside, there is a long line of mostly females ready to dine at the newly built establishment.
I have never heard of Kona's Cofee until a friend told me about it. I had to go and see what all the marvel was about. At first sight I thought this was a franchise brought to Japan via Hawaii.
But...
I just did a wiki search and I can't find any locations in Hawaii. So it seems this is a Japanese franchise? The word Kona however is the name of arabica coffee grown in the hills of Hulalai and Muana Loa in the north and south Kona districts of the "big Island" of Hawaii.
One thing to note, Japanese love Hawaii; so to start a franchise like this here is a gold mine.
Lets take a look around
Here is a shot of the Hawaiian style building from across the street. As you can see, palm trees and volcanic rocks line the edges to give the place that "Aloha" island feel. The surfboards make you feel like you are on the beach and interestingly some customers played the role dressed in beach wear😁.. You can tell the creator of this brand takes bride in the design. They even have torches lit around the building to give that feel of being at a resort. At night, it really catches your eye.
The Kona cofee brand is here on sale as well. I had a cup while I waited for my take out order and it was extremely good. There is a variety of coffee here to choose from and it is a good stream of income besides the food they serve🤑. Very smart, buy a cup or buy some beans...oh you want hamburgers and fries, maybe some curry or the infamous Hawaiin pancakes while you are here? This is a well thought out business.✌️
The interior is very spacious, from outside it doesn't look that way. The "bar style" counter alone can seat up to 10 people. Now keep in mind, this was a day after the state of emergency was lifted in Tokyo, and a week after it was lifted in my town.
Every table here is different, even the chairs. The spacing also makes good for "social distancing" I believe. Once things cool down I will probably do a proper write up on this place.To the left of the shot above, there is even more seating. Again, I couldn't help but notice that it was 90% females dining in.
F#&k, junk food again
Aloha on the wrapping, the Hawaiian branding is real. Now I can imagine a Jamaican burger wrapped in paper that says "Yeah man", and the veggie burger saying "Ital is vital".
So yeah, I had junk food again this day. There was a lot of things on the menu, and thinking back I should have went for the coconut shrimp curry. But I couldn't be bothered with rice so I just went for the practical. It was good. Here is a web link to the menu.
This is what the fries look like take out style. They were alright.
Loco Moco
Loco Moco is a Hawaiin dish, I never heard of it until this day. It is simply a burger meat patty with an egg on top. There are various types with cheese etc, but I was surprised there was no veggie burger choice.
The kids and wifey💁 had that Loco Moco. I like how it is presented. it kinda reminds me of Brazilian food as they too like eggs with their meat...or is that only the Brazilians I know in Japan?👽
Ideas Ideas
Now the closest thing to a Jamaican/Caribbean diner franchise like this would be Usain Bolt's Tracks & Records. But that is more of a high tech sophisticated sports bar and it doesn't have that natural feel. It is more of an international sports bar vibe. Nothing wrong with that and I feel one would do well in Tokyo and many major cities.
There is huge opportunity for a restaurant franchise with the feel and design of Jamaican/Caribbean culture here in Japan and around the world. While there are many Jamaican restaurants/ cafes worldwide,there is none that really stands out as a crown jewel in my mind. Jamaican art on the wall, craft and figurines, blue mountain coffee beans for sale, authentic Jamaican accessories.... I could go on. But hey, as long as the food tastes good, who cares about all that? Spenders up for an "experience" do.
Here I leave you with a Reggae song called "Higher than the clouds by the Hawaiin Reggae artiste, Anuhea. The song was released in 2012, but a good love song never gets old. 7 million views to date and counting. Check out her website here for more info
