Renowned Hawaii chef and restaurateur David "DK" Kodama has filed suit in U.S. Bankruptcy Court against Roger and Chu Ja Tanabe for alleged fraud following investment in a frozen-yogurt business that failed to materialize.
In February 2011 Kodama acquired a 10 percent interest in YogurtKing LLC for $600,000, half of which went to the entity, with $150,000 each going to Roger Tanabe and another Honolulu resident, Won Pak. Pak is listed as CEO of Yogurtland Asia Inc.
Kodama owns two Yogurtland stores on Maui and one in Hilo. "We all had Yogurtlands" at the time, Kodama said, referring additional questions to his attorney, who could not be reached.
Tanabe’s attorney Warren Kim declined comment.
The lawsuit alleges Roger Tanabe and Pak told Kodama that YogurtKing was preparing to open four stores in China, that the groundwork had been laid, and presented what they claimed were floor plans for store layouts.
The two allegedly claimed that the company was planning an additional 25 stores for the China market in 2011 and that they were opening training stores in Honolulu.
The lawsuit alleges that Tanabe and Pak told Kodama that an investment was needed quickly and that other potential investors had been approached.
Current and future shareholders of YogurtKing would hold an equal share and ownership of entities established by YogurtKing affiliates in Hong Kong and China, Roger Tanabe and Pak are alleged to have promised.
The two presented Kodama with a YogurtKing prospectus outlining its business and operations, which was filed with the lawsuit as evidence.
The lawsuit alleges that YogurtKing had "taken virtually no steps towards opening any stores in China."
Kodama’s suit alleges that Tanabe and Pak used some or all of the $300,000 he invested with them to begin attempts at setting up the business they had claimed was already in existence.
The suit notes that Tanabe has stated under oath that the money he received from Kodama was paid to YogurtKing to pay prior debts.
Roger Tanabe lists Kodama’s Manoa Boys Club LLC as an unsecured creditor in his December 2013 bankruptcy filing, when Tanabe listed assets of $33,000 and debts of $137,000.
In December former business partner and chef Hiroshi Fukui sued Kodama for terminating him from Hiroshi Eurasion Tapas at Waterfront Plaza, a restaurant partnership that Fukui, Kodama and Chuck Furuya had entered into years earlier on a handshake. Kodama and Furuya have countersued, Kodama said.
Furuya continues to operate Hiroshi the restaurant as well as the adjacent Vino concept.
NOODLE SHOP’S FATE UNKNOWN
Donburiya Dondon at Ala Moana Center is no more, boarded up early last week for reasons unknown.
Neither Ala Moana Center officials nor principals in Donburiya parent company Avanti Group Ltd. could be reached.
The business number for Avanti has been disconnected, though it is because the principals use their personal cellphones instead, according to an employee at Lupicia, the tea shop at Ala Moana also owned by Avanti.
The corporation is based in Japan, though it does have local offices, the employee said.
The noodle shop and tea shop are two of several businesses Avanti group operates or formerly operated in Hawaii.
It was behind Touch the East, one of many failed Waterfront Plaza restaurants in the space now occupied by Bonsai. The interior was drastically renovated by Bonsai’s owners prior to opening.
In addition to Lupicia predecessor L’epicier, other food-and-beverage-related Avanti concepts in Hawaii include Rokkaku and Soba-ya at Ala Moana, and Tsuruya Noodle Shop, open at Pearlridge Center.
Reach Erika Engle at 529-4303, erika@staradvertiser.com or on Twitter as @erikaengle.
