Kimo’s Restaurant, the oceanfront Lahaina staple famous for its Original Hula Pie, is officially eyeing a return to Front Street. On Thursday, July 16, T S Restaurants announced it has signed a letter of intent to develop a new Kimo’s location on Front Street while also exploring a rebuild at the restaurant’s original home at 845 Front Street. The company plans to team up with local business figures Kent Untermann and Mousa Hassan, who are restoring the Chan Wa Building as the proposed future site for Kimo’s.
According to HAWAIʻI Magazine, T S Restaurants detailed the plan in a news release and quoted CEO Jackie Reed describing the new partnership as grounded in “trust, shared values and a common commitment to Lahaina’s future.” The outlet also notes that Kimo’s was the group’s first restaurant when it opened in 1977 on what was then the last available waterfront parcel on Front Street. Company officials say specifics on the restaurant’s design, construction schedule and opening date will be released later.
T S Restaurants' website still lists Kimo’s in its lineup of Hawaii and California properties and highlights the brand’s long relationship with Maui. Kimo’s official site continues to spotlight the Original Hula Pie and the seaside rituals that turned the spot into a Front Street fixture. Taken together, it is clear the comeback plan is about more than a kitchen rebuild, it is an attempt to bring back a familiar gathering place for both locals and visitors.
What’s Next For Front Street
As outlined in the company release cited by HAWAIʻI Magazine, Untermann and Hassan are leading the restoration of the Chan Wa Building on Front Street, which T S Restaurants is targeting as the new home for Kimo’s. The company says it is still looking at the option of rebuilding on the original 845 Front Street parcel, but stresses that moving ahead with the Chan Wa site would bring Kimo’s back into the neighborhood sooner. For now, there is no public construction timeline or projected opening date.
Why It Matters
Lahaina’s Front Street was badly damaged in the August 2023 wildfires, which wiped out dozens of businesses and much of the town’s historic commercial center, turning any plans to reopen into emotional milestones for residents and displaced workers. Reporting from Maui News describes how the fires leveled large portions of the waterfront district and uprooted hundreds of employees who depended on tourism-related jobs. The return of a high profile tenant like Kimo’s would mark an early step in Front Street’s phased recovery and could help restore local employment and a familiar draw for visitors.
T S Restaurants says it will share design concepts, construction details and opening plans once they are finalized, and points people to the company and Kimo’s social channels for updates in the meantime. For a town still piecing itself back together, the news serves as a small but concrete signal that Front Street’s dining scene is slowly stirring back to life.
