Dawn O’Brien, former morning radio host at KAIM-FM 95.5 "The Fish," can now state publicly that she is the press secretary for gubernatorial candidate James "Duke" Aiona.
"I’m stoked but nervous because I’ve never done it before," she told TheBuzz. While she had volunteered for his previous campaign as mistress of ceremonies for events and fundraising, this is her first turn as the "first line of defense" for a political candidate, she said.
So far she has been pleasantly surprised by "how friendly" the local media has been, following appearances on early-morning TV news shows at Hawaii News Now and KITV.
Separately, in about a month, O’Brien will debut her own half-hour talk show, "Dawn of a New Day," on Christian television KWHE-TV (Oceanic Channel 11, Hawaiian Telcom Channel 14). O’Brien has done TV before, having served as a co-host to Pastor Wayne Cordeiro on his "Connecting Points" program.
She said she is scouting locations for her new show, the direction of which will be "inspirational, uplifting and positive," and on which she’ll interview a mix of people.
O’Brien said she is aware that as far as the political role goes, she has a "steep learning curve" ahead of her.
"It’s a great new season (of her life), and I’m stepping into roles I never thought I’d see. I would say God has the greatest sense of humor, and I seem to be his greatest punch line," she said.
Bonsai shifts gears
The phone at Bonsai Restaurant + Lounge is disconnected, the restaurant’s website is down and it did not open for lunch Tuesday, but it’s not totally a case of so-called Restaurant "Death" Row claiming another victim.
"We’re just focused on private functions over the weekends right now," said Burt Kawasaki, general manager, and the company is heading into a potentially busy season of graduation parties as well as birthday parties, yakudoshi celebrations and more.
Kawasaki is working on getting a new phone number and new website.
Bonsai, which opened in October 2008, has had the longest run of any restaurant in its space at Waterfront Plaza in recent years.
As this column reported at that time, the space "has a chequered past," as short-lived predecessors include Carnaval Las Palmas, Meritage, Ferno, Baci at the Row and Touch the East.
Previously open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, business at Bonsai primarily would comprise foot traffic from within the Waterfront Plaza complex.
It would be a question of "how much money can you make in one hour," he said. "You’re busy out of your mind for one hour," but staff would have to be paid from 10 a.m. to after 2 p.m.
Low foot traffic translated to food waste and other cost problems, and the same was true for Kawasaki’s dinner and lounge crowd.
For years after it opened, Restaurant Row was a "destination," he noted, with Rose City Diner, Studebaker’s and a plethora of entertainment options, eateries, "that sort of thing … where you could just show up and find something to do," he said.
Now, "if you’re going to Ruth’s Chris, then that’s all you’re going for," he said. "The times and the scene" have changed.
That Restaurant Row re-branded to Waterfront Plaza reflects a deliberate shift away from the entertainment center concept, Kawasaki said.
The environment is different, and "as a whole, my outlook on this industry is that we’re still in a down cycle," he said.
One big plus for Kawasaki’s new business model, however, is the complex’s parking, as well as center management’s willingness to let Bonsai use large spaces in and around the complex for functions that the restaurant can’t contain, he said.
Some of that business comes from another Kawasaki operation, The Villa Ultralounge at Aloha Tower Marketplace. It was an event space for groups of 400 people or more until it was displaced by Hawaii Pacific University’s purchase of the marketplace.
The new streamlined operation at Waterfront Plaza will help maximize revenue, Kawasaki said.
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Reach Erika Engle at 529-4303, erika@staradvertiser.com or on Twitter as @erikaengle.
