Yum Yum Tree chain
expanding again

By Russ Lynch
Star-Bulletin

The Kailua Yum Yum Tree restaurant will reopen July 31 under the ownership of a group that earlier this year bought 10 other Hawaii restaurants, including other Yum Yum Tree outlets.

Roger Mercier, president of the acquisition group and formerly a long-time Denny's Restaurants executive, said he and his partners believe the island restaurants can make money.

"The restaurant business provides an essential, fundamental product and service," and can do well "as long as the business keeps the customer in mind," Mercier said.

His group, TP Acquisitions Inc. doing business as Pacific Restaurant Group, bought 10 restaurants from bankrupt Trans/Pacific Restaurants Inc. in March. They were three Yum Yum Tree restaurants, four Jolly Roger restaurants, two Islander coffee shops in Waikiki and a Monterey Bay Canners in March.

The Kailua Yum Yum Tree, part of the Pali Palms business building complex on Kalaheo Street, was not part of the March deal. It had been closed earlier that month by Trans/Pacific.

Mercier's group was able to negotiate its own lease with a San Francisco real estate investment company that owns the Pali Palms property and decided to open there, Mercier said.

The group decided to close the Islander coffee shop in the Outrigger East Hotel on Kaiulani Avenue because there is a Jolly Roger in the same hotel. The other Islander, on Lewers Street, is still open.

That means Pacific Restaurant Group still has 10 restaurants -- eight on Oahu, one on Kauai and one in Kona.

Mercier, who had 18 years with Denny's and was chief executive of the Marie Callenders chain for two years, also is a partner with the group that has the Carls Jr. hamburger restaurant franchise for Hawaii and is buying a Carls Jr. franchise for Reno. Mercier also is involved in the ownership of some dinner houses in Southern California.

The Pali Palms Yum Yum Tree had made money for the former owners but it became a bit worn and lost business, Mercier said.

"Under the former management, it had been allowed to run down a bit. We've remodeled it and refreshened it to try to bring it back to its original condition," he said.

Mercier said Pacific Restaurant Group is renovating the other three Yum Yum Trees as well. "There are new menus throughout the Yum Yum Trees," Mercier said.

His group has retained a Honolulu promotion agency and public relations firm, Smartcomm, to promote all the restaurants it bought. Smartcomm is planning a formal grand opening for the Pali Palms Yum Yum Tree in August.