Maui’s Coconut’s Fish Cafe eyes Los Angeles for expansion opportunities
Pacific Business News
The Coconut’s Fish Cafe chain that had its start on Maui is now seeking to open at least four new restaurants in Southern California as it continues to grow rapidly on the Mainland.
The restaurant’s franchisee the Los Angeles area, Ivan Field, told PBN he intends to open at least one of four stores that he has planned in Southern California by the end of this year.
Field, who has owned and operated Metro Food Distributors Inc. in New York City area for the past decade. said he decided to sign on with the Nevada-based chain that started on Maui because of “the quality of the food, the atmosphere, and the healthy options.”
“I think it’s the most amazing, healthy food for fast casual that you could possibly get,” Field told PBN on Tuesday. “With regards to Los Angeles, it’s in need of a good fish taco place, and I haven’t seen or tasted a fish taco that’s as good as Coconut’s.”
But perhaps the company’s most enduring quality, he said, is the consistent taste and appearance of the food at all Coconut’s Fish Cafe locations in Hawaii and on the Mainland.
“Obviously, you could go to Hawaii and have a great meal, but when you can take that same meal and take it to another place on the Mainland, such as Arizona, and replicate the same thing exactly, I find that to be an amazing business concept.”
The challenge now is to find landlords in Los Angeles, especially in the Westside and San Fernando Valley areas, who are willing give the restaurant chain its start in Southern California.
“We think we’re going to do really well, and I’d like to find the first location and a location,” Field said. “I wanted to be involved in something that I really believe in — when you sell something, you want to be able to sell something that you believe in.”
If all goes as planned, the first Coconut’s Fish Cafe in Los Angeles could open up by the end of this year.
“The idea is, the first to the market usually wins,” Field said. “I really need a landlord to take a chance on a location for us, because a lot of times, some of the established chains get the first dibs on the good locations.”
The restaurant’s entrance into Southern California dovetails previous expansion plans that have prompted franchises to open in Arizona, Texas, California and Nevada. The company’s first franchisee in Texas is working to open eight cafes in the area between Dallas and Austin in the next 24 months.