Shimogawa Scoops

Wahlburgers, founded by the chef brother of movie and pop star brothers, Mark and Donnie Wahlberg, is opening its first Hawaii restaurant in the former Cafe Lani space at Honolulu’s Ala Moana Center, Shimogawa Scoops has learned. The new restaurant will be located on the mall’s Level 2 in the Ewa Wing near Longs Drugs and Shabuya, and led by California-based OneTeam Restaurant Group. Wahlburgers, which has about 35 locations around the world, mainly in the U.S., filed a building permit Friday for its new restaurant and bar at Hawaii’s largest mall, and also filed other public records regarding its Honolulu eatery including registering its trade name. The casual dining burger restaurant was also featured in a TV series that aired on A&E for several seasons.  Wahlburgers will join Olive Garden, another well-known restaurant that recently opened its first location in the Islands at Ala Moana Center.

Von’s Chicken, the hugely popular Korean fried chicken restaurant chain, is expanding to East Oahu with a location opening in Kaimuki, public records show. Von’s is opening its sixth location at a small retail strip center at   3036 Waialae Ave., which is across from AutoZone.  The chicken chain has been on a fast-moving expansion plan on Oahu with more on the way including expanding to West Oahu.  Its tasty chicken wings has captured quite the following. Von’s started out with just one location inside the Palama Supermarket in the Ala Moana area but already has five locations.