Posted on: Wednesday, May 11, 2005

BUSINESS BRIEFS
Macaroni Grill opening here

Advertiser staff

The owner of three Ruth's Chris Steak House restaurants in Hawai'i plans to bring the Italian-themed casual dining franchise Romano's Macaroni Grill to the Islands, starting with an Ala Moana Center location.

Randy Schoch obtained the franchise from Dallas-based Brinker International Inc., and expects to open five Macaroni Grill eateries in Hawai'i. The first is projected to open in November in a space previously occupied by J.C. Penney.

C&C to build Mililani offices

Mililani master developer Castle & Cooke plans to add more commercial office and retail space in Mililani Mauka now that the Town Center of Mililani is nearly full.

The company said it will construct two buildings between its housing sales office and a recreation center. A 10,000-square-foot building will be available for lease to multiple tenants. A 6,000-square-foot building will house a Castle & Cooke construction office.

S&P index adds Central Pacific

Standard & Poor's will add Central Pacific Bank to its SmallCap 600 Index.

The S&P SmallCap 600 Index includes a basket of small-cap equities. A small-cap company is generally defined as a stock with a market capitalization between $300 million and $2 billion.

Central Pacific, Hawai'i's fourth-biggest bank, will replace Riggs National Corp. on Friday.

Seminar May 17 on visitor issues

The Hawai'i Tourism Authority is hosting a free hospitality seminar on May 17 at the Hawai'i Convention Center.

The "Hawai'i Hospitality Seminar" will include discussions on visitor satisfaction and expectations. Speakers include Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association director Peter Apo and HTA tourism marketing director Frank Haas.

Registration deadline is tomorrow. To register, e-mail your name, title, company and e-mail address to lkajiwara@hawaiitourismauthority.org. For more information, call 973-2268.

Correction: Central Pacific Bank is the fourth-largest financial institution in Hawai'i in terms of assets, behind First Hawaiian Bank, Bank of Hawaii and American Savings Bank.