"They kept wondering when we were going to bring it back," she said. "I think we're going to have a lot of happy customers once they find out it's here again."

From tomorrow through Feb. 19, the much-requested garlic-miso chicken plate will be available at all Zippy's dine-in restaurants and take-out counters.

"It's going to sell well," Nakashima predicts. "It was one of our most successful promotions that locals just loved."

First marinated in garlic, miso and other seasonings, the boneless chicken is then lightly breaded, deep-fried to a golden hue and served with white or brown rice and macaroni salad. (Guests who order this special in the restaurant will receive hot vegetables instead of the mac salad.)

"Bringing this dish back was completely customer driven," said marketing manager Jeanine Mamiya-Kalahiki. "The goal is to work towards adding it to the regular menu. So, if it sells as well as it did the last time, it may become a permanent item."

Cost for the miso-garlic chicken plate is $5.45 at the take-out window and $6.95 in the dining room. Customers who order this special will receive an entry form to Zippy's Las Vegas getaway with Hawaiian Airlines. (See stores for details on how to enter the contest without any purchase.)

Still reeling from the busy holiday season, Sigrid Akamine held up Zippy's newest pupu platter, saying that it was a big hit among Kaneohe residents.

"We sold plenty of these," said Akamine, who recently transferred from the Kaneohe location to this one in McCully. "They loved the pieces of mandoo and the Korean-style fried chicken."

Priced at $20.75, the mandoo-and-fried-chicken platter must be ordered at least one hour in advance.

"It just depends on how busy the kitchen is," said manager Roger Higa. "If we're slow, we can get it out in no time. But if we're busy, we've got to prepare it in between the orders in the restaurant and at the take-out counter."

While proving to be a success, this Korean-style pupu platter still lags behind Zippy's most popular "#1" combination ($20.70), offering slices of hot dogs, Portuguese sausage, deep-fried mahi mahi, beef teriyaki and chicken katsu.

Sigrid Akamine says the Korean-style pupu platter has been a big hit.

Zippy's third local-style pupu platter features strips of chicken katsu ($16.90).

Available only at the Kahala and Pearl City locations, three specialty sushi platters each come with an assortment of California uramaki and nigiri sushi.

Priced at $90, the take platter consists of 56 pieces. For $60, the matsu combination comes with 52 pieces. And at $50, the ume plate offers 32 pieces.

Also avaialble is a maki sushi combo platter for $40, which includes 64 pieces of California uramaki, tekka maki, kappa maki, oshinko maki, futomaki and inari sushi.