Yum Yum Tree "The Rival of Annamillers"

Yum Yum Tree was a casual-dining restaurant chain in Hawaii, known for its coffee shop and diner atmosphere, particularly its pies. Yum Yum Tree was owned by Trans Pacific Restaurants that owned a bunch of other restaurants in Hawaii and managed several locations including: West Ridge Aiea, Downtown Ward Centre, Aikai Kailua, Mililani, and Kahala. They were the ones who owned Jolly Rogers and already had a lot of experience serving the people in Hawaii.

When you arrived there would be the Tree where it would say Yum Yum Tree with a nice space outside almost like a cottage or rustic feeling home. There was a lovely logo in artistic stained glass in entrance door that kind of made it feel nice. It was a coffee house or what some might call a "Hawaiian Diner" from those who came from the mainland, but it was an all around dining spot that wasn't too casual, not to fancy, but just right. 

In 1970s, its early days the menu was mostly only burgers and shakes. It just had the Yummy Burger, Cheese Burger (american, swiss, or cheddar), London Burger (english muffin), Yumbo Combo (cheese burger, green salad, and shoestring potatoes), Mushroom Hamburger (butter mushrooms on burger), Patti Melt (hamburger, grilled rye, melted cheese, shoestring potatoes), Teriyaki Hamburger, Hamburger Ranchero (broiled burger, green ortega chilies, melted cheese, scrambled egg), Nui Nui Half Pound Burger, Mahi Burger (tartar sauce), Der Feinschmecker (smoke sausage, sauerkraut, melted cheese, toasted bun).

"When the kids use to eat broccoli it would look like the tree. So when they ate their broccoli they would say yum yum tree!!" 

It was sorta of like Hawaii's version of Marie Calendars, maybe a upscale Denny's, or Olive Garden...but no...it had to compete with Anna Millers in Hawaii, so it couldn't just be like somewhere else and that's part of why they had to grow. The case of pies would have people looking in just as their competition and the same for their american like presentation in their food and menus. The waitress uniforms (almost same as Anna Millers) pantyhose, wore dark greyish and green, so people would distinguish where they were. And because of that there was a small following of otaku who would go to Yum Yum Tree over Anna Millers. 

"There were these three girls who would go to the Ward location and talk about Tree name tages and inspired manga characters as well as romance stories while eating the pancakes at their table. A lined booklet on the table they would talk about how the outfits could be even more extra and cute if it were to come to someplace like Japan. Perhaps the brand never thought of itself as that sort of international establishment, but it sure would have been interesting to see if it did." -Mandy

Pies at Yum Yum tree were as iconic as Annamillers, the place that led the way in peoples mind about the perfect pie, but they had competition. Yum Yum Tree had driven innovation in its pie development tactics that would persist to make quite the contrasting pie. The creative effectiveness and different flavors allowed them to compete even in Aiea where Annamiller's was on one side of Pearl Ridge and across the street was Yum Yum Tree at West Ridge. It was a pie battlefield to say the least: English Toffee Pie, Swiss Chocolate Silk Pie, Layered Sour Crème Pie, Layered Pumpkin sour cream pie, Apple Sour Cream pie, Dutch Apple Pie, Banana Cream Pie, Macadamia Nut Cream Pie, Cherry Pie, Peanut Butter Pie, chocolate crunch pie, Pumpkin Crunch Pie, Pecan Pie, Lemon Meringue Pie, Dream Cake, Mauna Kea Crunch (chocolate chip cookie).

The Ward Centre Location was the last Yum Yum Tree location that closed in 2005.  

The Kahala Location. When it closed it would become a Chili's Restaurant. Tom Selleck would make it part of his routine when he would come around the area to stop by for his favorite order there.

The Mililani Location was known as the Second ever bar in the Mililani area. After it closed down it would become a Ruby Teusdays. 

Yum Yum Tree Kailua location would take over where the original Pinky's was located.

Mahi Mahi Eggs Breakfast (2 eggs over easy on rice with a English muffin).

Eggs Benedict, Pancakes, Chocolate Chip Pancakes, Banana Pancakes, Belgium Waffles, French Toast, Super trio(bbq chicken, mahi mahi & shrimp, 

Artichoke Omelettes, Corn Chowder, Teriyaki Steak, 

Fettuccine Alfredo,

Hawaii Dip Teri Burger (Teri Burger) the sauce would be on the side being really thick and sweet in a ramekin. 

"I remember always ordering a Saimin with that Teri Burger. It wasn't just a burger with the teri sauce as an after thought. It was a the whole thing, the teri sauce a stand alone as well as the burger. The saimin just made it even better. That place did their homework on the local dining."

London burger: English Muffin for bun, bacon & cheese on burger patty, Portobello Mushroom Burger, Ranchero Burger, Ortega Burger, Avocado Burger, Tuna Melt, Hawaii Avocado Melt, Mahi Mahi sandwich, Reuben Sandwich, Bacon Avocado Clubhouse Sandwich, chicken cashew sandwich, Cube-shaped Chicken Pot Pie, Chicken Fried Steak, Steak Fries, Saimin, Mushroom Chicken, Meat Loaf, 

"There were these old pilots who use to go to the older family restaurants and they were pilots from the old Hawaiian Airlines, Aloha Airlines, Western Airlines. It was about how things changed with aviation history from WW2 through the fabulous days of the jet age in Hawaii.. "

House Dressing, Italian herb dressing, Bacon Dressing, Blue Cheese Dressing, 1000 island dressing, Ranch Dressing,  Sour Cream salad dressing

Corn Bread with Whipped Honey Butter, Cobb Salad, Spinach Salad, Chicken Pasta Salad in Taco Shell Bowl, Tostada Salad, Quich Lorraine, Mexican Quiche, Seafood Quiche, 

Bloody Marys for Breakfast

Chocolate Fudge Sundae, Double Brownie Dessert, Giant Fluffy Mac Nut Cinnamon roll,  fruit tart pies

There were all kinds of people eating there with larger than life figures. Daniel Inouye enjoyed eating there and would talk to some of the other customers. 

"eating out was a rare treat back then and I remember jumping up and down when they said we going Yum Yum Tree" -Kalei Kaina

Larry (Baker) owned Larry's Bakery in Waimalu and would make the pies for TransPacific Restaurants. He made the pies for Yum Yum Tree, Monterey Bay Canners, Spindrifters, and Sizzlers. A man would come to the bakery and deliver the pies to the different locations and when there was a slight damage to those pies or bread he brought them to his family home. The family got sick of eating the pies and bread and would start just giving them to family. He would later get picked up by Don Quixote Hawaii.  

Hot Fudge Ice Cream Cake Deluxe, Chantilly Cake, Lilikoi Chiffon pies

Staff: Puka Wong (Manager), Dwight Ellis (Manager), Sheldon Amante (Mililani Line Cook), Larry Roper (lead breakfast cook. 1978-1980), Edward G Antolin (kahala chef), Ross Willson (cook), Robert (cook), Chris Cuttles Souza (cook), Mark Egdamin (cook), Joe Nonaka (cook), Ross Wilson, Kim Yoshimura (server), Yvonne Souza, Chris Cuttles Souza, Laura Wilson Bruns (server), Todd Lau, Tate Kam, Paula Lewis, Nancy Parlier, Ronald Ramos, Kanoe Kanoho, Alice Cabael-Kaahanui, Sel Sel, Koka Sinykin (valet), Victor Labrador, Kareece Zane, Dawn King, Jane Potter James, Rhonda Witt Ohlheiser, Gene Ernestberg, Leinaala Hutchinson, Kory Spence Chang, Kathleen LaVallee McCarley, Nancy Mangus, Marc Dixon, Mich Ken, Michelle Cuban, Colleen Dooley, Stacey Hartley, Miki Brittenham, Sandi Siple, John Jack Pearce, GiGi Wong-Monaco, Stephanie Tongpalan, Julie Mills, Penny, Leo Nickel, Jeff Nickel, Thomas T Shirai Jr (dishwasher), Karin Campos, Lester Nishida, Iris Kia, Zeny Hoopai, Myrna VonOelhoffen (1979- 1992), Renee K. Nobriga-Takaba, Art, Pa'iniu Lyn Piper Nevin, Danny Gahuman, Cindy McCoy (server), Anakala Steve (1985-1999), Cynthia Haynes, Lei Pas, Ross Kamekona (busboy), Jennifer Morgan