Cock’s Roost Broiler & Bar

“The first customer broil your own Steaks restaurant! Good memories! Low prices and all around good times”

Cock’s Roost Broiler & Bar (1971-????), was located in the heart of Waikiki at the Old International MarketPlace. People would use it as a sort of central place either on the outside or the inside as they had a drink for people to meet them before the night life would start and it if people stayed a bit too long they would just end up enjoying themselves too. The Waikiki nightlife was so crowded, so the draw was that there was no cover, reasonably priced drinks, and that broiler experience with the old times when people had all these peanut shells that would be on the floor till the 80’s. In its early times there was no lanai to look over and that would be an extension with the outside being a green lawn before all the kiosks and pavement came in; huge banyan tree with the Colonial House Buffet below. The staff would take notice when every afternoon the International Market place would have Hawaiian dancing which could be watched from the Cocksroost

The place was a good spot to meet up before the night started or people meeting up for the night getting ready to go somewhere else with the attraction being reasonably priced drink menus and no cover. There was a sign for the Cock’s Roost featuring their steaks and featured talent like how it once said “Iva Nightly!- Cock’s Roost Broiler & Bar” with a staircase heading right upstairs so that there would be a view over the rest of the marketplace while hearing Hawaii’s local bands on the outside that was coming out from the bar. The customers knew it as a Spencecliff place and it was like the Spencecliff bar express with some really memorable steaks with all the fat cut off with the juicy meat chunks looking delightful. Locals wanted the experience to be able to be up close up and personal with the entertainers which were often their friend or someone they knew and the entertainment were known at a personal level.

In the kitchen their chef was also a butcher that handled quality meats and not the same quality that was at the market pre-cut meats that were pre-packaged, it was cutting an array of meat cuts with a larger piece of meat that would be used for specific dishes to not waste. George Gray used to check to see the quality of the marbling and the meat to fat on the beef to make sure it could be made into many dishes, but if there was too much fat it would just be used to be rendered on the pan or thrown away entirely. Even from before Spencecliff would have those aspiring to work with meat to the Cocks roost and a assistent manager named Mike Law would end up opening a steakhouse with Spence Weaver. Chef Regie would be a master of the broiler and the one who would be handling the steaks like no one's business with the cuts being great and the speed would be fast.

Manager Howard Picard, one ambitious butcher was Howard Picard who came from Tahiti and had some experience already at his parents restaurant where he firmly asked “Can you teach me how to cook steaks properly and butcher steaks?”. Spence let him train with one of the best chefs who knew his way around butchery and he would end up later on managing the place. As someone so young he felt very blessed to have the owner and manager and even the chef take a chance on someone so young. It seemed like those who got to know Spence Weaver knew what he was really after and it wasn’t what people perceived him to be, because he would put a stern and hard front, but deep inside he just wanted a community of respectable hard working people who really believed in what they did and believed in themselves. While it was what was needed for a strong company, that sort of business model lent to people all holding each other accountable by believing in each other in the end.

The Nightlife was a grand special sort of experience with locals straight and center with visitors on the outskirts of the place hearing music throughout the corridors all the way from the Kiosks to Diamond Head Sportswear. Conga drums would be heard in the distance pulling people in with the ambience and it would be followed up with a few songs. Later Tina Santiago would be singing “Paloma Blanca”. The feeling was a get together of friends who were having an endless party of socializing and laughing with drinks and stories that would keep people positive throughout the good times and the bad.

Iva Kinimaka was one of the stars, there were many who made it there in the International Market Place nightspot like Harry Chang (drummer), Boyce Rodrigues, Myra English, Jimmy Borges, Al Lopaka, John Rowles, and Liz Damon’s Orient Express. Some of Iva’s dancers were also entertaining at Nick's Fish market lounge with people going from gig to gig to make their living; it was part of the life of an entertainer.

The Waikiki Streets would have all sorts of local entertainers that would have their acts at a main venue at a specific time and when that schedule wasn’t filled the entertainers made their way from live-stage to live-stage with a few songs to fill in the time before heading to their own favorite hang out spots.

Employees: Mike Law (Manager), Howard Picard (Manager), Judy, Jerry, Sam Thompson (80s. Manager), McCoshen (Assistant Manager), Berny Lai, Lovey (bartender), Russ (bartender), Richard Mau, Regie (chef), George Gray (chef), Alexander M Rozal, JoAnn Downing (cashier), Barbie Nishimura, Art Schaller, Terry Kale (Terry Derohan)

Entertainers: Lee Muller (musician), Norm Compton, Tina Santiago, The Compton Bros, Rod Young, Varoa Tiki, Tony Compton band, Dick Jensen, John Rowles, Chito, Jimmy Marciel