Mo’ Bettahs Brings a Taste of Hawaii to Maple Grove

In the highly competitive restaurant industry, breaking into a brand-new market is never an easy task. However, the team behind Mo’ Bettahs found a surefire way to catch the public’s attention: offer free food.

“Hey, lunch is on us today,” staff members could be heard calling out to eager guests on July 24.

The strategy worked flawlessly. During the recent soft opening weekend, the line for the new Maple Grove location circled completely around the building.

“I’m Hawaiian, so this is fantastic,” said customer Malia Patterson of Crystal, who was among the many waiting in line to get a taste of home.

The massive turnout even caught the store’s leadership off guard.

“This is awesome,” said co-founder Kimo Mack. “Usually our lunch crowd isn’t this big, but this is terrific.”

Island Comfort Food

Kimo Mack is one of the masterminds behind the rapidly growing fast-casual concept. He founded Mo’ Bettahs with his brother, Kalani Mack, back in 2008. Today, the chain boasts 80 restaurants spanning seven states.

“Kimo and I like to joke that it’s food that we cook for our kids and relatives, friends, whoever,” Kalani Mack explained. “And it’s just easy island comfort food that we enjoy.”

The menu design is straightforward: customers choose a protein (teriyaki chicken, teriyaki steak, katsu chicken, kalua pig, or pulehu chicken), which is then paired with white or brown rice and a side of macaroni salad or mixed vegetables.

And yes, the menu features a local delicacy that should make plenty of Minnesotans feel right at home.

“We do have Spam on the menu. We love our Spam. Hawaii people love Spam,” Kalani said. “So we do have Spam musubi, and it’s made daily by our ‘musubi senseis’ here.”

Spam musubi is one of the sides available at Mo’ Bettahs in Maple Grove.

Letting the food do the talking

Rather than launching a traditional advertising campaign to introduce themselves to Maple Grove, the founders figured they would simply let the food do the talking.

During their soft opening weekend, the restaurant served more than 5,000 free meals to hungry Minnesotans.

“Rather than spend those dollars spreading the news, we want to spend those dollars putting food in people’s hands and really giving them a chance to try it,” Kimo Mack said of their grassroots approach. “And then the word seems to spread. And so far, that’s been the secret of our opening successes.”

The unconventional strategy appears to be paying off handsomely. A recently opened location in Burnsville debuted to record numbers and the Maple Grove location is already earning rave reviews.

“I think Hawaiian food is such a unique thing,” said Patterson, the customer from Crystal. “To have something here in Minnesota is just fantastic.”

Local diner Sean Hurdle agreed, noting that the restaurant has all the right ingredients for long-term success. “I think with the quality I’ve tasted so far, the fast-casual vibe, [and] their location, they probably have a lot of staying power in the community.”

Mo’ Bettahs in Maple Grove is officially open for business at the corner of Fountains Drive and Fountains Way, taking over the former site of Pizza Karma.

While the company notes that there are no additional Minnesota locations planned as of yet, the brand’s national footprint is expanding rapidly—with plans to open 20 more stores across the United States this year.

Meals consisting of white rice, macaroni salad, teriyaki chicken and kalua pig were among the giveaways during Mo’ Bettahs soft opening weekend in Maple Grove.

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