Kau Kau Korner

The Kau Kau Korner was founded by the Sundstrom's in 1935. Hanley Paul Sunny Sundstrom (1909 – 1965) was born in Minneapolis and moved to Kingsburg Fresno County in California in his youth. He came to Hawaii in 1932 and was only in Hawaii for a few years, but he wanted to make a burger joint. He sold magazines door-to-door before he and a partner opened a up the place for $900.00. Sunny had eventually bought out the partner and as it became famous it was nicknamed the “Hamburger King of Hawaii”. The sign went up in 1938 (100$) and in 1941 the restaurant would undergo a 45000$ upgrade with a larger menu of steaks and chicken with the place being open 24 hours a day.

It would be on the corner of Kapiolani Boulevard and Kalakaua Avenue as the original "Gateway to Waikiki", because there wasn't a wide options of foods that were decent. Good food was hard to find and by solving the issue of a finding a decent burger in Honolulu the Kau Kau Korner filled that need. When it was first constructed it was a Drive-in with a counter that had room for size. The big attraction was the large sign that said "Crossroads of the Pacific" that appeared in many magazines of the time.

Many of the workers heading into Waikiki to work would get their breakfast. It was in a part of Honolulu that was developing quickly and is when some of the preferred ways to have breakfast was with Fresh Pineapple Juice or Tomato Juice.

Sign was at Kau Kau Korner drive-in restaurant at the corner of Kalakaua and Kapiolani.

A drive in worker would come out, place a metal tray on the window ledge of our car, take the order, and then send it to the back of the house. Sizzle, Squirt, and a yell of Order and the worker would come back with the delicious burgers and milkshakes! a steak sandwich? no problem! People thought "Wow, we don't even have to get out of our car!".

Kau Kau Corner Drive-in Restaurant, used to have a slogan "A Complete Tasty Treat" and it did what many places did and was served brings from the Charcoal Broiler. They served shor-string potatoes, green salad, hot rolls or biscuits and coffee. T-bone, Sirloin, Kaukau Klub Steak, Steak Plate with Spaghetti, Filet Mignon.

The menu would say "Crossroads of the Pacific- has been the description of Hawaii since the first whaling ship found this friendly haven. Today more than ever, with CLipper ships in the airways, ships with steam and sail, ships of the 7 seas, from north, from south, and all compass points putting into its ports, Hawaii is indeed the Crossroads of the Pacific."

Then they had hamburger steaks that had spaghetti and show string potatoes and a green salad or there was the other version with the Hamburger Steak with Chili with the french roll. They were known for their Jumbo Shrimp, Turkey Sandwich, and Fish and Chips.

There were all kinds of salads on the menu with Fruit Salad, Pineapple Cottage Cheese, Avocado Tomato, Potato Salad, Cole Slaw, and Tuna Salad, or Chicken Salad.

The sandwiches were all pretty standard with Egg, Bacon, Tomato, called the Kaukau Special. They also had a difference in a grilled bacon and chicken called the Kau Kau Klub. They also featured their Bar b q sandwiches back then with beef, pork, chicken. They also had Filet Mignon Steak Sandwich on the go. The soups were Chicken Noodle and Cream Tomato.

What people tend to remember is the Beverages with the Coff, Tea, Milk, Buttermilk, Chocolate, Ovaltine, Tomato Juice, Pineapple Juice, Grape Pineapple Cooler, and Orange Juice. Milk Shakes, Malted Mild, Bottled Sodas, Ice Cream Sodas, Floats, Frosts. Many of these had an option to be served in a frosted mug, which is a nice old fashioned touch.

Butter Fried Eggs are something that people tend to make at home these days, but it was something that was pretty standard at restaurants for crispy whites. It would be described as "Eggs Fried in Butter", because no matter which way it was made the butter would add more flavor to the eggs. Other things on the flat top grill that used butter would be the Butterfried Hash Brown Potatoes, the toast, and the little thin hot cakes.

Foot Long Hot Dogs, the long hot dog isn't something unique to New York City or maybe it traveled from there, because there were many that were served at the Kau Kau Korner. One of the young Carhop Girls would give the rest of her Carhop Crew flowers that they could put by their ear to show they were single. It must have worked because one of the carhops fell in love with a customer that knew she was single based on what side the flower was on.