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A taco cart would just be a taco cart. If you're gonna do Mexican offer the good stuff. There are plenty of tacos around on special. Torta's, chile relleno's, enchilladas, tamales, chimichanga's, huevos rancheros, yadda yadda yadda...
Do it right!
Big thing to remember is that most tourist are from a variety of different time zones, so the late night business would only be locals. 3-6 hours difference and the eating habits change. Maybe an early morning breakfast burrito?
This place had the same idea about late-night eating. They were targeting the late night people as well as the bar people (located near a bunch of bars)- hence the early morning close. You might talk to them and see how it's going for them. I believe they've been open for about 3 years now.
There's probably a reason why there's few late night places to eat. There's few late night customers. People in Hawaii, even on the Kona side, tend to not be out and about late, and there isn't really that many places to go if you're used to the mainland. It's a very different market, and I would suggest moving and then trying to see what might work rather than the other way around. You really need feet on the ground to get a feel for things. For sure early morning to mid afternoon would be good if you have decent food and a good location. Be advised that ingredients and everything else are a LOT more than you think they might be.
Ken's is busy because they're very well known, and about the only game in town for late night food. Great locatiion too, which is everything. I agree, a taco cart on Ali'i Drive would stand a good chance if you are in a place that people can park and buy from you. That might be the hard part, along w/ dealing w/ the permit process. Eating options are a little limited on that stretch unless you want more of the usual stuff.
strongly suggest you look into basing your business on serving blue-collar or office worker lunches on weekdays and some targeted family settings (beach, sports, etc) on weekends...
There is no market for 8pm-12am dinner on the island, even in Kona Town, I agree with what smarino says above:
There's probably a reason why there's few late night places to eat. There's few late night customers.
Maybe you could get some of the bigger bars to let you set up shop in their parking lots on big nights to sling burritos to drunk people but that is more 12am-2:30am than 8pm-12am, that might be a decent few hours a couple nights a week, maybe try to hit concerts and events in the evening as they let out, but I suspect your best shot would be workday lunches.
As far as Ken's, completely different scenario, their off hours customer base is not an indicator there is of demand for this in Hilo, unfortunate to see Ken's used as an example of why a prospective new business might work.
I can't tell you how many times Z and I have gone looking for a decent place to eat after 9 pm, anywhere, any time, any state. Since we almost always eat late, it can be frustrating to never be able to find anything besides a bar serving pub grub or fast food (that schtuff doesn't count as "food", imho), or Indian cuisine if you're in the UK. AND, since I love Mexican food (was married to a Hispanic man for 13 years, and his mother taught me to cook Mexican cuisine authentically), if I lived there, I'd certainly eat at your restaurant/food cart if the food was authentic! And especially if you make your guacamole on the spot, as ordered, and make VERY fresh, not canned, salsa. Can you make good Ceviche? I LOVE Ceviche on warm corn tortillas. And lots of fresh cilantro on everything :-). Of course, at the moment we live in Oregon, and won't buy a place on the BI for a year or two, but when we do, count me in. Heck, I'd drive to the west side of the Island for good Mexican (we hope to purchase on the east side), if that's what it took.
As for many people not eating out late, I'm guessing it's because there aren't a lot of decent options, if any, after 8 or 9 pm. I'm of the opinion that "if you build it, they will come". Good luck!
Those of us who live here know that 8:00 pm is "Hawaii midnight". People just don't go out late here.
Others who live here have posted the same thing -- there are no late night places because there aren't late night people. It's been tried before and didn't work (except apparently Get Sum Pizza in Kona). The adage "if you build it, they will come" obviously does not always work. It's just one more example that people's mainland habits and ways of thinking don't translate well to the Big Island.
Location: Southernmost tip of the southernmost island in the southernmost state
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dreaming of Hawaii
Those of us who live here know that 8:00 pm is "Hawaii midnight". People just don't go out late here.
Others who live here have posted the same thing -- there are no late night places because there aren't late night people. It's been tried before and didn't work (except apparently Get Sum Pizza in Kona). The adage "if you build it, they will come" obviously does not always work. It's just one more example that people's mainland habits and ways of thinking don't translate well to the Big Island.
I have to agree with this post. Once I moved here, my 10-11 bedtime moved to 8-9. Something about the tropics just wipes me out and a day being active out in the sun leaves my eyes drooping extra early. The same affliction seems to have struck my wife and daughter. Even the night owls of the family crash a lot earlier here.
I'm a night owl (not by choice--I am afflicted with insomnia), and during our 2 weeks in Hawaii, we were on the move, constantly. I actually lost about 20 lbs, there, during that time, despite the water retention/swollen hands & feet that both my husband and I had to contend with while we were there. Despite getting up early, running all day and into the night, I STILL couldn't get to sleep until after midnight. I think the only thing we found open after 9 pm was Uncle Robert's on Fridays (I think?). It was too packed and smoke-filled for us, and Z and I would both love to be able to have a decent meal after 8 pm. "Mainland ways", you accuse? Not so much. Insomnia visits us both--me nightly, and Z at least a few nights/wk. I would LOVE to be able to go to bed at 9 pm and sleep 8 hours, uninterrupted. It isn't happening, though. Because we're on the move constantly by day, eating early usually doesn't work out for us. We can cook our own meals, of course, and do, 6 nights/week, but being able to go out and relax somewhere with a nice ambience and good food after 9 pm would be a godsend to us. Of course, that doesn't happen often here on the mainland, either--even when we lived in Portland. Now that we live in a small coastal town, it just isn't an option, either.
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