Kuna is getting a new place to grab kalua pig and macaroni salad this week. Mo' Bettahs, the Hawaiian-style plate lunch chain, opens a restaurant at 1460 E. Deer Flat Road on Friday, marking the company's 10th location in Idaho.
The opening comes a day after a community celebration billed as a Friends and 'Ohana event, according to RestaurantNews.com. On Thursday, the Kuna restaurant will hand out complimentary mini plates and drinks during lunch, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 4:30 p.m. A dinner and block-party-style celebration is set for 5 to 7 p.m., with samples, merchandise and a photo booth.
Co-founder Kimo Mack said the company wants to bring more 'ohana to the close-knit Kuna neighborhood, per the same report. Mack and his brother Kalani founded Mo' Bettahs in Bountiful, Utah, in 2008, building the concept around recipes and traditions they grew up with on O'ahu.
What's on the Menu
The Kuna restaurant will serve Mo' Bettahs' signature Hawaiian-style plate lunches, including grilled teriyaki chicken and steak, kalua pig, pulehu chicken, katsu chicken and shrimp tempura. Plates come paired with steamed rice, vegetables and the chain's signature macaroni salad, the report notes. Mo' Bettahs offers dine-in, takeout and catering.
Once open, the restaurant will run Monday through Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and will be closed on Sundays.
A Chain on the Grow
Mo' Bettahs has expanded to more than 80 locations across Utah, Idaho, Oklahoma, Texas, Nevada, Arizona, Minnesota and Indiana, and the company says it plans to keep expanding in the coming months and years. That growth has followed a partnership with Savory Restaurant Fund, Blue Marlin Partners and Trive Capital, per the RestaurantNews.com report.
The Kuna opening follows a busy year for the chain in the Treasure Valley. Mo' Bettahs opened its first Eagle restaurant at 722 S. Edgewood Lane earlier in 2026 and has signed a lease at the District at Ten Mile, according to the Idaho Statesman. City paperwork also points to a potential Boise location, with the chain planning to take over and remodel a Jack-in-the-Box building at 7040 W. State St., though a company spokesperson did not confirm the location or offer a timeline when asked by the Statesman.
Mo' Bettahs already has a presence elsewhere in Boise, having moved into a former Del Taco at 1306 S. Broadway Ave., according to Yahoo News. The chain's expansion isn't limited to Idaho, either — in September, it opened a restaurant at 10969 N. Town Center in Highland, Utah, which it billed as its 36th restaurant in that state and 83rd nationwide, per Utah Business. That same report describes the chain's offering as an authentic Hawaiian island barbecue experience built on the founders' O'ahu roots.
For Kuna residents curious about the new spot, the Nov. 5 celebration offers a preview before the restaurant's doors officially open Friday for regular business.
