Posted on: Monday, February 14, 2005
No more cheering at All Star Hawaii
By Peter Boylan
Advertiser Staff Writer
When fanatic football fans Loretta Silvera and Jerry Holt heard that the state's biggest sports bar was closing for good yesterday, they gave up their tickets to the Pro Bowl so they could hoist a few more pints before last call.
Holt and Silvera, insurance adjusters by trade and rabid San Francisco 49ers fans in the fall, were among a handful of people on hand yesterday afternoon to bid farewell to All Star Hawaii, the Waikiki restaurant and bar that closed its doors yesterday after catering to sports enthusiasts for the past seven years.
"I can't believe this is going on; we were there the day they opened," said Holt, who, along with Silvera, hasn't missed an NFL Sunday at All Star Hawaii in six years. "This is home; it was the only good place to watch football."
The owners could not be reached for comment. A general manager with All Star Hawaii declined comment, saying she was told not to discuss the reasons for the closing. She would not say what would replace the restaurant.
"They had the best venue in Hawai'i for watching sports," said Don Murphy, owner of Murphy's Bar & Grill in downtown Honolulu and a manager at All Star Hawaii two years ago.
Bartender Joe Beaudoin said working at All Star Hawaii was the best job he has had in 15 years of tending bar. He said employees were told last Monday that the restaurant had been sold.
"I got to enjoy sports with a community of people that loves sports," Beaudoin said. "I feel upset about it. This is honestly the best job I've ever worked."
The two-story, sports-themed bar and restaurant in the King Kalakaua Plaza at 2080 Kalakaua Ave., opened as the Official All Star Cafe in 1998. It was sold to the current owners in 2000, when the name was changed to All Star Hawaii.
When it opened, the 12,000-square-foot restaurant was run as a subsidiary of Planet Hollywood International. Several athletes, including Wayne Gretzky and Andre Agassi, were stakeholders.
The bottom floor, flanked by the entrances to Banana Republic and Niketown, featured patio seating, and a small bar sat just inside the building. To the right of the bar, a long escalator took patrons past several TVs, each tuned to a different game.
At the top of the escalator, guests were hit by a cacophony of game noise, drink orders and sporadic bursts of clapping. The second-floor dining room featured a large bar and two dining rooms.
Display cases, each an ode to a different school or sport, lined the walkway into the dining room. Game programs, end zone pylons, volleyballs and other mementos from University of Hawai'i sports filled one case. Another was devoted to the Trojans of the University of Southern California.
But an employee and patrons said the biggest draw for fans was All Star Hawaii's satellite sports package. The package allowed the restaurant to pick up the feed from any televised football game in the country.
During football weekends in the fall, the dining rooms were packed with people eager to show allegiance to their teams. Despite the fact that kickoff comes early, 6 a.m. on Saturdays and 7 a.m. on Sundays, the restaurant was usually standing room only.
Fans from Pittsburgh, Boston, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Philadelphia and Iowa City regularly gathered to cheer on their hometown teams. UH sports also drew large crowds, especially during away football games. The restaurant also hosted live music and standup comedy shows.
Reach Peter Boylan at pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8110.
