PHOTO GALLERY: Kona Inn Restaurant ushers in new era of ownership with guests during grand reopening

Jerome Kanuha has been eating at Kona Inn Restaurant since he was 4 years old.

Dressed in a pink and white aloha shirt, Kanuha sat at a table at the nearly 100-year-old restaurant on Thursday, enjoying a sunset, beverage, and conversation as he and about 100 other people celebrated the grand reopening of the oceanfront eatery at the heart of Historic Kailua Village.

“It’s what Kailua is all about,” Kanuha said, referring to the restaurant, adding everybody who lived in Kailua when he was growing up worked at the Kona Inn, including his dad who was a bartender and security guard.

The restaurant was recently sold to the newly formed Island Restaurant Group, which launched its new menu to the public on Thursday.

The new ownership has breathed new life into the space, as the once lively restaurant had quieted over the years for a variety of reasons, from loss of visitors and workers who moved on following the COVID-19 pandemic and the institution of paid parking in the village.

But on Thursday, the restaurant was packed. There was live music, drinks, and food set up on the front lawn. The night ended with fire dancers.

“Kona Inn is special to me,” Kanuha said. “I’m glad it’s alive again. Hopefully, it stays this way.”

Kanuha’s daughter, Lelia Kanuha, is currently the general manager. She said Thursday marked a new beginning for the restaurant group with local owners at the helm.

“We’re trying to actually elevate it and embrace what’s already here,” Lelia Kanuha said. “All I can feel is straight excitement.”

Moving forward, Lelia Kanuha said patrons can expect the same nostalgia at the restaurant.

“We don’t want to change that, we don’t want to lose the history that we have,” she said.

The general manager teased some news about valet parking that will be offered to guests in the future.