L&L Hawaiian Barbecue
909 Kapahulu Ave.

Two scoops rice, a mound of macaroni salad and a neat stack of barbecued meat. There are some constants Hawaii residents can rely on, even in tough times – plate lunches are one of them. The hefty meal packs are a Hawaii staple the L&L Hawaiian Barbecue franchise provides in a familiar, simple environment of clean, hard-backed booths.

Yet, around noon, the store has one customer, and the owner and another woman are laying down rows of raw chicken on a steaming grill, as they fire remarks in Mandarin back and forth. They feel uncomfortable talking to this reporter, who they thought was holding a menu, not a notebook, wanting to order chicken at the cash register, not asking about their business. Meiyou shijian! they yell from the stove when I ask them if I can talk to them. No time! But they will answer the simple question: How’s business?

“Not OK,” the woman says. “Really slow.”

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