Pineapple News

Hawaiian Bros restaurants get set to serve Dallas homey rice plates

You've got your rice, you've got your protein.

Photo by Kathy Tran

Hawaiian plate lunches are about to be the dish of the summer via Hawaiian Bros, a fast-casual chain unleashing their expansion into Dallas-Fort Worth with four locations opening in the next two months.

Hawaiian Bros debuted in Kansas City in 2018 when brothers Cameron and Tyler McNie opened their first location, after having learned Hawaiian recipes and cooking techniques used by native Hawaiians for generations.

The special of the house is the Hawaiian plate lunch: meats like pulled pork and teriyaki chicken, accompanied by side dishes such as jasmine rice and tangy macaroni salad. All plate lunches are available in small, classic, and large sizes and come with white rice, macaroni salad, and your choice of protein. The classic plate lunch consists of chicken or pork, two scoops of white rice, and one scoop of macaroni salad.

The company has operated a ghost kitchen in Dallas-Fort Worth since August 2020, but the first brick and mortar locations in the metroplex are set to open in June and July. More will follow throughout the year with 18 units total in the country by the end of July.

Denton will open at 2220 S Loop 288 on Tuesday, June 15.
Alliance (Fort Worth) will open at 2301 N. Tarrant Pkwy. on Tuesday, June 22.
Hurst will open at 1495 Precinct Line Rd. on Wednesday, July 7.
Hulen (Fort Worth) will open at 4732 Bryant Irvin Rd. on Tuesday, July 13.

UPDATE 9-13-2020: The chain has signed leases on five more locations, as follows:

Frisco, at 11560 Dallas Pkwy., on September 28.
Little Elm – Frisco, at 8820 FM 423, on October 12.
Dallas, at 6011 Greenville Ave., on October 19.
Addison, at 3825 Belt Line Rd., on October 26.
Allen, at 810 W Stacy Rd., on November 9.

Menu standouts include:

Huli Huli Chicken – Hawaiian Bros’ signature dish, marinated teriyaki chicken
Luau Pig – Kalua pork seasoned with Hawaiian sea salt
Molokai Chicken – sweet and spicy chicken with a little heat
Honolulu Chicken – chicken with garlic, green onions, and sesame
Spam Musubi – rice, seared spam glazed in teriyaki sauce and wrapped in seaweed

The menu also offers a seasoned vegetables plate lunch, as well as refreshing Dole Soft Serve dessert, which is dairy-free, fat-free, and gluten-free.

Hawaiian Bros currently operates restaurants across Missouri, Kansas, Texas and Illinois, with more set to open in 2021. More will follow throughout the year with 18 units total in the country by the end of July.

trends openings

Fried Chicken News

Chicago restaurant debuts its fried chicken and boba tea in Frisco

Chi Tea

Chi Tea burgers and chicken sandwiches.

A new restaurant serving boba tea and fried chicken just opened in Frisco: Called Chi Tea, it's a chain from Chicago that opened its first location in Texas at 4760 Preston Rd. #228, in a former Bonchon Korean in Frisco Village.

According to a release, It opened November 1.

The concept was founded in Chicago in 2020 by brothers Zak Ayyubi, Aman Siddiqui, and friend Abdurahman Sharif, with an unusual goal to pair fried chicken sandwiches, fries, and bubble tea drinks. They've since opened two more locations in Illinois; Frisco is the fourth and the first outside the state.

The name is a little misleading, as it implies it's a beverage place, but there's equal emphasis on the sandwiches and fries. They also tout their welcoming vibe, encouraging customers to eat, drink, and linger.

Their menu features three sandwiches — Nashville hot fried chicken sandwich, a grilled chicken, and a burger with grilled onions, jalapenos, pickles, cheese, and Chi-sauce — which can also be ordered in a smaller slider size.

There are also fries, loaded fries, popcorn chicken, chicken tenders, and mac & cheese, which can be customized with bacon, beef, fries, and other toppings.

Prices typically range from $5 for a single Chi Tea Classic slider to $13 for four-piece chicken tenders.

Boba drinks are entirely customizable, starting with choice of blended smoothie or over ice, with choice of flavor ranging from pineapple to brown sugar milk tea to horchata; and toppings, like popping pearls or cream cheese foam. A regular starts at $5 and a large starts at $6.

Notably, Chi Tea was among the restaurants selected in the recent Spongebob Krabby Patty promotion during October that took place in 12 cities across North America, included a dozen restaurants in Dallas.

"We are very excited to finally bring a taste of Chicago to the Greater Dallas area," says Ayyubi in a release. "This move has been very promising and we cannot wait for the community to welcome us and for us to serve this beautiful city."

openings