Zippy's is a
fast casual
A fast casual restaurant, found primarily in the United States and Canada, is a restaurant that does not offer full table service, but advertises higher quality food than fast-food restaurants, with fewer frozen or processed ingredients. It is a ...
restaurant chain based in
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
. It has 23 locations and serves
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, p ...
,
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
,
Chinese
Chinese may refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China.
**'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...
, and
Hawaiian fusion food. One of their best-selling items is
chili. Zippy's can be found on
O'ahu
Oahu (, , sometimes written Oahu) is the third-largest and most populated island of the Hawaiian Islands and of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. The island of Oahu and the uninhabited Northwe ...
,
Maui
Maui (; Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ) is the second largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2). It is the List of islands of the United States by area, 17th-largest in the United States. Maui is one of ...
,
Hawai'i, and in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
,
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
.
History
On October 17, 1966, brothers Francis and Charles Higa opened the first Zippy's on South King Street in
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...
. At first, the Higa brothers were going to open a car wash, but they ended up creating a restaurant. The kitchen was located in the back of the Zippy's McCully fast food operation. At the time, the
zip code was gaining popularity because it was a faster and more efficient way for mail to arrive. The Higa brothers liked the idea of zip codes and they wanted their restaurant to have the same kind of service, so they named the restaurant Zippy's. Francis and Charlie bought mostly freestanding buildings so that they could stay open for 24 hours, attracting many late-night customers.
At the time that Zippy's was first created, a lot of Okinawan
mom and pop
Small businesses are types of corporations, partnerships, or sole proprietorships which have a small number of employees and/or less annual revenue than a regular-sized business or corporation. Businesses are defined as "small" in terms of being ...
restaurants were around. There weren't many mainland fast food chains in Hawaii at that time either. At that time, Spencecliff, Andy Wong (Byron's), and Zippy's were the only fast food restaurants around. Because of the competition, the Higa brothers decided on selling a variety of local foods.
On November 19, 1983, Napoleon's Bakery opened its doors, due to the fact that Zippy's wanted to try something different. They wanted to make the restaurant a one-stop shop, so that when the customer were done with their dinner, they could order a dessert. Because of the bakery's opening, the sales at Zippy's increased.
The founders, Francis and Charles Higa, created FCH Enterprise, Inc. in May 2002. Francis and Charles had different personalities and took on different roles to make the business successful. Francis determined the direction of the company, while Charles made most of the operational decisions and handled all food and paper purchases. To this present day, Charles is happily retired and well. However, Francis died on March 25, 1999. Francis' son, Jason Higa, is now the current CEO of FCH Enterprises, Inc.
When Zippy's
Kaimuki
Kaimukī is a residential neighborhood in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States.
History
In the 19th century the area was a farm of King Kalākaua, where ostriches roamed wild over the mountain side. It later became the site of a carnation farm for ...
restaurant opened, Charles would transport huge pots of chili in his station wagon. Now, food is being prepared by Food Solutions International in
Waipio
Waipio () is a census-designated place (CDP) located on the island of Oahu in the City & County of Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. In Hawaiian, ''wai pio'' means "curved water". As of the 2020 census, the CDP had a population of 12,082.
The ...
and is sent to the different Zippy's around the islands.
On October 10, 2023 Zippy’s officially opened it first location outside of Hawaii in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
.
Menu
Zippy's is open 24 hours and offers a wide variety of food combining
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, p ...
,
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
,
Korean
Korean may refer to:
People and culture
* Koreans, people from the Korean peninsula or of Korean descent
* Korean culture
* Korean language
**Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Korean
**Korean dialects
**See also: North–South differences in t ...
,
Chinese
Chinese may refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China.
**'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...
, and
Hawaiian cuisine
The cuisine of Hawaii incorporates five distinct styles of food, reflecting the diverse food history of settlement and immigration in the Hawaiian Islands, primarily originating from Polynesian, North American and East Asian cuisines.
In t ...
that is, what people who live in Hawaii call "local" cuisine. One of their signature dishes when they first opened was the Zip-min. Its signature food is their
chili. Zippy's sells 110 tons of it every month through their stores, fund raising activities, and in retail markets. Along with their chili, Zippy's sells a variety of
plate lunch
The plate lunch () is a Hawaiian meal, roughly analogous to the Southern U.S. meat-and-three or Japanese bento box. The combination of Polynesian, North American and East Asian cuisine arose naturally in Hawaii, and has spread beyond it.
Sta ...
es such as the Zip Pac and the Surf Pac. The Zip Pac was introduced in May 1971. The Surf Pac was introduced in May 1985.
Related chains
Most Zippy's restaurants also contain a separate counter for Napoleon's Bakery. Two locations contain a separate sushi bar.
See also
*
List of restaurants in Hawaii
This is an incomplete list of notable restaurants in Hawaii.
Restaurants in Hawaii
*
*
* Halekulani (hotel) – has three restaurants
*
*
*
*
*
* Sushi Ginza Onodera
* Tiffany's (restaurant), Tiffany's, Wailuku
*
*
See ...
*
*
References
External links
* {{official
Napoleon's Bakery
Fast-food chains of the United States
Restaurants in Hawaii
Restaurants established in 1966
1966 establishments in Hawaii
Regional restaurant chains in the United States
Companies based in Honolulu
Hawaiian restaurants