Koa Pancake House — Restaurant in Honolulu

Long lines and an omelette is $15. The hash browns were over toasted on one side and uncooked on the other. They take an order and after waiting 40 minutes you ask because one omelette comes and 25 minutes later the other hasn’t. They tell you pancakes and omelettes take different amounts of time (so they deliver your order, in parts and in very different times.) they also tell you “ We’re doing the best we can. Different people are making different things and they take different mints of time.” Which is a lame excuse for a restaurant especially when you didn’t complain and had simply asked if your order had gotten lost in the meyhem of their overly busy order counter. This is awful. Great for them and lousy for you. I have eaten here a few times now and I am not a fan. The food is just okay but two omelettes and coffee were $36 plus tip. Oh, and parking is impossible so you’ll pay in a nearby lot. Why go here? You get paper plates, plastic utensils, paper cups, mediocre food, awful service, it’s expensive as airport food, long lines to order and your order does not come out all together. ( she was finishing when mine arrived.) The heyday for this place was a long time ago. They’re milking an earlier success and reputation and they don’t deserve a return visit after this insulting excuse for a restaurant. Whew, that was hard to write and the worst review I have ever written. Sorry but it is a...

Good, but too busy/crowded on Saturdays The portions are large and the food is good!The price is decent and the reception was friendly. The elderly lady working the register was extremely helpful, but a little slow which caused a long backup in the line.

The biggest issue is that the interior is narrow, and theres not much space for ordering and food handling. The line forms down the middle of the resturant making it crowded for seated patrons. Because of the volume of people, it's extremely loud. I wouldn't classify it as a regular resturant, but it's not fast-food either.

The other issue is that orders do not come out together, as a group. They are brought to the table by staff and it could be 5 -10 minutes between plates. For example, our table of 4 received 2 meals 10 min after ordering, a third meal 5 min later, and the last one 10 min after the third. 25 minutes for all 4 meals.

An undercover boss could turn it around and make this place work more efficiently.

I'd like to go back on a weekday and try again. Saturday morning was just too slow and crowded, and it wasn't what I expected from a Pancake House. It was more like a Hawaiian-style McDonalds that only served breakfast, as compared to a restyrabt like IHOP.

It's good, but it's crowded.....and when it's crowded, it's slow.

What are your experiences with Koa...

I waited in line for 30 minutes for nothing. Several other customers left. I overheard people complaining about the food. I'm allergic to eggs and they won't substitute eggs for anything else. They won't even substitute it for $1 veggies. Totally disappointed. I used to be a restaurant manager and it was standard to accommodate the customer, so they will enjoy their visit and food, and give us their money, tell their friends how great our restaurant was, bring friends and family back and spend more money, spreading positive word of mouth and online reviews.

To be so stingy and lose a customer and lot's of other potential customers isn't business savvy. It doesn't take a Harvard Business Professor to understand how to treat customers, so your business thrives. When I like a place, I bring all my friends and family and I spread ghe word. They lost my business and the business of everyone I know, over something so petty...