Hospitality company operating 4 Big Island restaurants shift to employee ownership plan

The Hawaiʻi-based hospitality company that operates Huggo’s, On the Rocks, Kai Eats + Drinks in Historic Kailua Village, and the Lava Lava Beach Club in Waikōloa Resort has transitioned from private ownership to employee ownership.

Luana Hospitality Group has changed ownership through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan, which gives eligible team members an ownership stake in the company, aligning employees directly with the ongoing success and sustainability of Luana Hospitality’s family of restaurants.

“This is a really special day for us,” said Jolene Mears, vice president of Luana Hospitality Group. “When you’re a shareholder, you don’t just work for the company—you’re invested in it. Every decision matters more, whether it’s improving efficiency, reducing waste, enhancing the guest and team experience, or strengthening the company for the future.”

Jose Fuentes, president of Luana Hospitality Group, emphasized that the Employee Stock Ownership Plan was designed to reward the people who have built the company while maintaining the same hospitality and leadership for guests of the restaurants.

Founded by Eric von Platen Luder and Scott Dodd, the company will continue to operate “business as usual” with leadership team members and employees remaining in place. Through the Employee Stock Ownership Plan, eligible employees will earn economic ownership in the company over time as part of a long-term retirement benefit.

“As we thought about the future, it made the most sense for the employees to take ownership of what they work so hard for,” Dodd said. “They made this company a success, and now they get to share in the benefits.”

“Our motto has always been ‘Family Owned and ʻOhana Operated,’” von Platen Luder added. “Now it truly becomes ‘ʻOhana Owned and ʻOhana Operated.’ This creates a serious retirement opportunity in an industry where that hasn’t always existed.”

Along with the four Big Island restaurants in Kona and Waikōloa, Luana Hospitality Group operates Lava Lava Beach Club in Kapaʻa, Kauaʻi.