By 11:30 a.m., the crowd was spilling into the parking lot, with a hungry mob of patrons standing elbow to elbow while anxiously awaiting for their names to be called out by one of the servers.

"You should see it during dinner time," said restaurant general manager Chris Mitchell, shaking his head. "On Mother's Day alone, we sat more than 2,000 people over the course of the day."

Since opening the first Makino Chaya on South King St. in 2003, owner Toru Makino has slowly and methodically expanded his namesake restaurant, making this Westridge site his third. (The second one is located in Mililani.)

"They used to say 'crazy Makino,'" said the charismatic restaurateur, referring to friends and naysayers who told him a Japanese-style buffet would never work. "I was the first to bring this type of dining to the United States."

In 1981, Makino established Edokko in Burbank, CA., and later helped found and open the more than 50 Todai locations across California, as well as the one here in Waikiki.

Three years after he parted ways with Todai, Makino opened Makino Chaya, which is touted as a "Japanese Seafood Izakaya Buffet."

"We have more than just this buffet," Makino said, pointing to chafing dishes that lined one side of the room and a sushi-and-salad bar that occupied another area. "We also have items on a menu that people can order and have as much as they want."

And this is where Makino Chaya distinguishes itself from all other buffets. Not only can guests graze at a lengthy lineup of hot dishes, but they can also have such items as grilled scallops, pork katsu and rib-eye steak, all made-to-order.

Starting Jun. 5, they'll also be able to order live Maine lobster from the dinner menu, which lists close to 50 different items, including more seafood and king crab legs.

"I've ordered a 20-foot container filled with 20,000 lobsters," Makino said. "No wonder people think I'm crazy."

Lunch, which is served from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., is priced at $11.98 Mondays through Thursdays, and $12.98 Fridays through Sundays. (Prices at Westridge are $1 more during lunch hours.)

Available nightly from 5:30 to 9:30, dinner costs $24.98 during the weekdays and $25.98 on weekends and holidays.

"What you see today may not be here tomorrow," Mitchell said. "We've got more than a thousand items in rotation. So, we can afford to constantly change the lineup."

Head sushi chef Akira Nishida holds up a platter of assorted nigiri.

Over at the sushi bar, guests piled their plates with sashimi, California rolls and an assortment of nigiri sushi.

"When you see people here carrying their plates, they look happy," said an animated Makino, who was imitating the broad smiles that his guests would wear. "They look like they're in Disneyland."