Loco Moco Burgers

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Loco Moco Burger is a Big Island Regional dish of Hawaii Cuisine that people track down and search for in hopes of finding another regional burger road trip item to check off their list. In hamburger history there are some of the most interesting burgers than any other island with so many people needing to make their own. It was the birthplace of the Loco Moco Burger and was a working man's food and this sort of Hamburger Culture that grew with the Drive Ins and the Fast food craze of years past. It has really humber beginnings as something even simpler than a loco moco and it was the "Gravy Burger" at Verna’s Drive In that people would take with them and slap an egg on it and call it breakfast. When people think of the origins the Gravy Burger was there first and people made Loco Moco Burgers at home to feed the family more protein.

Loco Moco was said to have started in Hilo, so of course it is no surprise that the gravy burger was also found its start in Hilo. The residents of the Big Island have always enjoyed there gravy and of course their burgers. This famous burger that has gravy all over would have variations that would be really famous overseas. The variations of the burgers are found all over the island still if the person knows where to look and which family still makes them if they still live there. Many of the variations are kept in the quiet home kitchens and built on left overs. There are gravy burgers that are still a mystery of where they come from or unknown ingredients. Some of these burgers that are still being researched include the: Superman Gravy Burger, Alii Mushroom Gravy Burger, Kilauea Gravy Burger, Oyako Gravy Burger (aka. Chicken Gravy Burger), and Beef Curry Burger.

"It's a real home grown hamburger, the loco moco, its part of the hamburger family that you could actually eat with rice and fork" -The Burger Scholar George Motz, 2021

Loco Moco Rice Smashed Burger: He went on to make a smash burger and people online who saw this video on First We Feast were making smash burger loco moco and smash burger loco moco burgers. Fast forward three-years later and in 2024, Jack in the Box Hawaii makes a inspired Loco Moco Smashed Jack to their menus as a special that was covered by local news program Living808. The Loco Moco Smashed Burger had: burger patty, egg, fried onion ring, rice, gravy, and a bun. It was presented by Glenn Dela Cruz.

Hawaii Tourism Board-Approved Burgers

In 2015, Fast-Food giant McDonald's Japan Co (Shinjuku, Tokyo) took the idea that was already a go-to item on the Big Island and made it even bigger. President and CEO Sarah L. Casanova began selling the Loco Moco Burger, unbeknownst to her it was already in the form of a hamburger on the Big Island. A burger based on the classic Hawaiian dish, Loco Moco, and it was developed as the second hamburger in the "World Mac Hawaii" a Hawaii Themed campaign. It was ranked Second-Place with 34.0% in the "Favorite Hawaiian Food Survey" losing to Hawaiian Pancakes at 35.4%. This now meant there was a (A.) Single-Loco Moco Burger and (B.) Double-Loco Moco Burger. Unlike the typical loco moco there was no rice and no side of mac salad.

It was officially recognized by the Hawaii Tourism Board as other sandwiches like the: "Hawaiian BBQ Pork" and the Kalua Pork", and has been very well received by many customers in Japan. It carved out a type of Loco Moco Burger that was made with two 100% beef patties without any binders or additives, a soft and moist egg, gravy, cheese, lettuce, and a Hawaiian herbs and cheese bun. When people thought about Hawaiian Burger Set's they had then thought about Hawaiian Pancakes with Mixed Berries, a Banana Based Shake, and it set a fast-food standard for what people imagined would be in Hawaii.

In 2017, McDonalds brought back the burger with thicker-beef patties and offered three variations as a Specialized-Burger that was standing tall as a Plain Loco Moco Burger, Cheese Loco Moco Burger, and Curry Loco Moco Burger (Summer). The vibes people got from this deal was that the company was specializing the burgers with variations that could be a Loco Moco Burger Specialty sort of establishment. As the company had data from Hawaii they knew they had a hot breakfast item of the McMuffins, so it went on to introduce the Cheese Loco Moco Muffin that had butter-toasted English Muffin, egg, cheese, and link-sausage patty. Another experiment that proved to be a great success was the Blue Hawaii Soda and the Blue Hawaii Float that people could eat with their set. The Flower packaging of the iconic Hibiscus captured people's attention as well. 

Hawaiian Herbs and Cheese Bun:

 In 2018, McDonalds would go at it again with introducing the "Spicy Loco Moco" that added smoky bacon, a chili pepper sauce, and sprinkles of garlic. In 2019, the "Pork Loco Moco Burger" would hit the line up as the Hawaiian Barbeque Pork Burger that had: gravy, barbecue sauce, egg, link sausage, lettuce, mayonnaise, thick-sliced bacon. 

hen thinking of a good hearty plate lunch one of the favorites is the hamburger steak or the loco moco a dish with gravy, eggs, meat dish which is usually a patty, and there is rice to absorb the gravy. The place where loco mocos had originated also has a great fascination for gravy or stews on rice and even sandwiches. This would be the Big Island of Hawaii which is home to particular two bunned dish that is a specialty of the island the Gravy Burger. It is said to be the delicious burger of the Big Island that was hidden in plain sight. When people order it a side that is common is either rice, fries, or sweet potato fries. It usually is eaten for breakfast.

Hilo Gravy Burger

In the town of the Loco Moco that is Hilo there is of course the beloved loco moco burger. It has been around as long as there was gravy on burgers which is after the war. The origins of the burger are not easy to find, but there are a few establishments that still have the classic of: buns, burger patty, gravy, and green onions. In some home made variations there can be a large bunch of green onions, sometimes they are even grilled before being placed inside the gravy burger itself.

Wailuku Gravy Burger
Within the town of Hilo a nick named gravy burger rivals that of the classic gravy burger in the area. It was from a small place called "Koji's Bento Korner" which was famous for its teri burgers. It was said that a particularly hungry customer that wanted a really big burger one day, so he ordered a Koji Loco and asked the owners for a side order of a koji burger. He went to go back in his truck to go fishing and added the kimchi, portuguese sausage, eggs, and gravy sauce from the Koji plate into the burger. This would be the story of the Wailuku Gravy Burger which was different than the Hilo Gravy Burger.

Puna Gravy Burger
Hirano Store opened in 1918 by Naojiro and Shige Hirano, who came from Shizuoka, Japan, to work for Ola‘a Sugar Co. It is well known for its Chili and other stews. However a particular burger that makes the list is their Gravy Burger that has changed over the years. One of the ones that have caught peoples attention is the gravy burger that includes sweet onions, cabbage, cheese, and pot roast gravy all over. It is going to make anyone who eats it quite tired and relaxed with its strong flavors as well as its ability to sit in the stomach like a rock from being so heavy.

Kona Gravy Burger
The Breakfast Gravy Burger is a burger made of left overs. It is said that eating pot roast was quite popular as well as beef stew and it would be hard to get rid of the extra gravy. So what a particular long time resident of Kona had made it . A simple addition of adding eggs over easy or even scrambled with the left over gravy. The old recipe used a patty that was made more like a meatloaf than a burger. It has inspired variations that include spam and bacon to the breakfast burger as is a mixture of items shown on their menu.

Loco Moco Burger Specialty Restaurant Menu Design

Core Menu: Establishing a core Local-menu that can compete with the Fast-Food that built themselves in Hawaii like: Jack in the Box, Wendy's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Hawaiian Bros. The equivalent to the: Beef Burger, French Fries, and Coke (Cola)would be - Gravy Burger, Tater Tots, and Blue Hawaii (sweet, fruity, citrusy, creamy). 

Competitive: This restaurant would need Plate Lunches as a staple to compete with Hawaiian Bros and be something that truly represents a much more authentic from its roots cuisine as the Hawaiian Bros hunter business model. But to be one step ahead it would have to compete with a strong competitor such as Jack In the Box Hawaii as well.

Technology: Taking on Tech it is important to have Automated Ordering Kiosks (convenience +), Drive Through (convenience +), Vertical Contact Conveyor Bun Toaster (speed +), Top-Bottom Clamshell Grill (speed +), Floor-Standing Fry Dump Station (speed +), Commercial Electric Vegetable Cutter (speed +).

Patties (Angus Beef 80/20): Single, Double, Triple.

(A.) Gravy Burger Deluxe
macaroni salad, bacon, beef burger patty, gravy, parsley, butter grilled onion, garlic salt, black pepper.

(B.) Island Loco Moco Burger
hawaii meatloaf (pork beef), gravy, egg, cheese, lettuce, mayonnaise, garlic salt, black pepper.

(C.) Hungry Man Loco Moco Burger
beef burger patty, macaroni salad, white rice, gravy, egg, chili peppah water, garlic salt, black pepper 

Grilled Chicken Sandwiches

(A.) Alaea Hibachi Chicken
grilled salted chicken (marinade 24h: shoyu, sake, mirin, sesame seed oil, fresh ginger, fresh garlic, alaea salt, black pepper, chili peppah water). Topped with white sesame seeds with green onion garnish.

(B.) Honolulu Teriyaki Chicken
grilled teriyaki chicken. Topped with roasted garlic with granulated onion.

(C.) Kilauea Guavayaki Chicken
grilled guavayaki sweet sour chicken, kilauea fire hot sauce, oyster sauce, cane sugar, shoyu, cornstarch, water, alaea salt, ketchup, red vinegar, rice vinegar. Topped with crispy fried onions.

Sides

(A.) Seasoned Vegetables
(B.) Pineapple Chunks
(C.) Macaroni Salad
(D.) Spicy Macaroni Salad
(E.) Island Tossed Salad
(F.) Pickled Garlic Onion Mix
(G.) Mayo Potatoes
(H.) Coconut Sweet Potatoes

Starches

(I.) Tater Tots
(H.) White Rice
(J.) Fried Rice
(K.) Ginger Fried Rice

Plate Lunches:
1 proteins, 2 starches, 4 cold sides

Sauces:
Hawaii Teriyaki Sauce
Sweet Sour Guavayaki Sauce
Pineapple Barbeque Sauce

Garlic Butter Mayo Sauce
unsalted butter, mayonnaise, garlic salt, garlic powder, onion powder

Desserts (Dole Whip):
Pineapple Flow Whip
Blue Hawaii Flow Whip
Lava Flow Whip