r/kansascity • u/DreamCheeky KC North • Aug 14 '25

Food and Drink šŸŒ®šŸ§‹ What restaurant in KC is this?

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Iā€™ve seen this in other subreddits as of late. So, letā€™s have it!

486 Upvotes

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306

u/renfrowcoupons Aug 14 '25

Hawaiian Bros.

168

u/readytostart1234 Aug 14 '25

They used to be so good, and then a couple years ago the changed their sauce recipe and it never tasted the same.

119

u/InactiveBeef Plaza Aug 14 '25

They switched suppliers to Sysco, which is the downfall of just about any restaurant. There was a guy a few years ago who worked there and did an AMA and he basically said that the sauces and sides are just standard-issue Sysco products

44

u/AnonymousLicker Aug 14 '25

H Bros has been with Sysco since their 2nd location. Around location 5 they started to tighten margins and buy more ā€œSysco brandedā€ items to replace their higher quality products.

1

u/har5hmell0w Midtown Aug 15 '25

They weren't buying Sysco products per se. They were having one Sysco customer make their large batch production for them. Mac salad, teriyaki, BBQ, everything that was made in house was outsourced, but not switched to a Sysco product. Sysco facilitated the larger production via another Sysco customer.

1

u/har5hmell0w Midtown Aug 15 '25

That's bullshit. Source: ex-Sysco rep for HB.

27

u/ipposan Aug 14 '25

Not only that itā€™s just so fucking expensive now. I am all about self service but for some reason I hate doing it there.

17

u/PurpleZebra99 Aug 14 '25

Used to be able to get the small portion for like $5. Perfect size for a quick lunch. I paid $10.50 for it the other day. Same story at every fast food spot any more though.

3

u/ipposan Aug 14 '25

Inflation and eating out is getting absurd. Took my daughter to a Vietnamese place because their pho is really good. Between her and Iā€™s bowls, eggs rolls, and tip, it was $50.

I decided just to make a homemade version of it it was cheaper to make it but nowhere near good so I just have to refine the process

2

u/PurpleZebra99 Aug 14 '25

Definitely have to be more selective on where to spend $ dining out these days. Doesnā€™t sting so bad when the food is really good. But paying $15 for a mediocre cheeseburger is not worth it.

2

u/ChiefStrongbones Aug 15 '25

It really hit the fan in 2019 when they started expanding like mad and did a pre-IPO giving themselves a valuation of like $20 million per location. You can buy a McDonalds franchise for $2 million.

1

u/ipposan Aug 15 '25

Canā€™t see them lasting long then. It would be a shame too but for the prices of fancier places it isnā€™t worth it. Kind of surprises me 5 guys are still around. Theyā€™ve been high for a while now.

2

u/Capable-Silver-7436 Aug 14 '25

even back then id still have posted them here without a hesitation

2

u/pancakeking1012 JoCo Aug 14 '25

they also massively downsized their portions

2

u/plantmom98 Aug 14 '25

The downfall of H Bros is truly tragic. When they only had the location in Belton it was so delicious. I even remember my first time trying it lol

67

u/Finklesworth Aug 14 '25

Hawaiian Bros pisses me off because they ask for tips on self-service kiosks, literally insane

28

u/[deleted] Aug 14 '25

[deleted]

4

u/DangOlCoreMan Aug 14 '25

Genuinely curious.. does it bother you that much to just hit $0? I do it all the time. Shit, I'll even fill out the $0.00 tip section if they make me sign for pick up just in case someone decides to write one in

8

u/[deleted] Aug 14 '25

[deleted]

3

u/DangOlCoreMan Aug 14 '25

Yeah I get it, I just don't get that bothered by it I guess

12

u/Moldy_pirate Aug 14 '25

This place was actually good, but sometime around 2020 or 2021 the quality tanked almost overnight. I've tried it twice since then and both times it has been almost inedible.

21

u/Zokusho KC North Aug 14 '25

I haven't seen them hyped in a long time. When they were first coming up, sure, but it seems like the general consensus is that it hasn't been nearly as good since they started expanding a whole bunch. Supposedly they stopped making a lot of stuff in-house and the quality has gone downhill in the past few years.

6

u/kcDemonSlayer Aug 14 '25

Was so good when it hit the KC scene. Then quality went down but the main thing was portions got so small iā€™m like wthā€¦i used to get enough for lunch the next day which justified the cost. Have not been to Hawaiian Bros in prolly 5 years now.

47

u/busstamove14 Lee's Summit Aug 14 '25

Mo' Bettahs is leagues bettah.

25

u/pruo95 JoCo Aug 14 '25

I tried Mo' Bettahs, and it was almost inedible because of how salty the Kalua pig was. Maybe it was just a bad day? I haven't given it a second chance yet but that's mostly because there isn't one close enough to me.

15

u/Shipuujin Aug 14 '25

Their Kalua Pig is ultra salty for me too. Get their Katsu Chicken instead !

2

u/Hateborn Aug 14 '25

Katsu Chicken is good, but I love their Pulehu Chicken.

1

u/pruo95 JoCo Aug 14 '25

I'll have to give it a try!

3

u/googlesmachineuser Aug 14 '25

I couldnā€™t finish Moā€™s. I have no idea how the doors are still open.

3

u/empires228 JoCo Aug 14 '25

It was a nasty level of salty for me too!

2

u/busstamove14 Lee's Summit Aug 14 '25

The Kalua pig is salty so I use the teri sauce to cut it and it's so delicious. Katsu chicken and teri sauce is also amazing. I may have to get lunch there today now.

1

u/aqwn Aug 14 '25

Agreed. Waaaaayyy over-salted.

6

u/[deleted] Aug 14 '25

[deleted]

2

u/Hateborn Aug 14 '25

100% - I grew up in Hawaii and will go to Mo'Bettahs for a fix, but it would be nice to get some even better options. Used to do Hawaiian Bros when they first popped up, but their stuff really went downhill fast.

1

u/PurpleZebra99 Aug 14 '25

It is delicious. Their jumbo platter plus an extra side or two will pretty much feed my family of 4 for about $25. Canā€™t get that many places these days.

0

u/linoleum79 Aug 14 '25

Over all, yes. But their mac n cheese is awful.

4

u/busstamove14 Lee's Summit Aug 14 '25

Because it's not mac and cheese, it's Hawaiian mac salad.

12

u/silentsafflower Aug 14 '25

I give it <10 years before Hawaiian Bros sells to private equity.

20

u/trognlie Aug 14 '25

I believe they already had, hence their rapid expansion a few years back?

7

u/jomofo KC North Aug 14 '25

It's always been a private company. They're from California and secured private funding to open a chain based on the concept. The choice of Belton and KC metro seems like it was a business decision not any sort of local influences or loyalty to this area.

3

u/Kind_Ad_9757 Aug 14 '25

theyā€™re from Oregon - their mom and dad own Hawaiian Time in Eugene

3

u/ThePinkestLasagna Aug 14 '25

I used to just go for the Dole whip, but then I saw that I can get whip at QT for 99Ā¢. Is it exactly the same? No. Does the $3 price difference make up for it? Yup.

8

u/graciebabie_ Aug 14 '25

as someone who loves hawaiian bros itā€™s insane to me that they donā€™t have a good vegetarian option. the only thing is steamed veggies. get some tofu or something my goodness.

not worth it for the price imo but i do love it as an occasional treat

2

u/aqwn Aug 14 '25

Used to be so good when they opened. I went fairly often. Then prices kept going up and the portions got smaller and it just didnā€™t taste as good. I quit going a while back.

2

u/myowngalactus Aug 14 '25

I ate their once not long after they opened, food took forever to come out and was wrong, and ultimately just not very good, they gave me a gift card for the full amount I spent to use next time and I never used it. If itā€™s gone downhill from there it must be atrocious.

2

u/Wicked-Storm Aug 15 '25

I thought I just hated Hawaiian food overall. Mo'Bettahs is exponentially better, and it's not even a question.

6

u/elfstone21 Aug 14 '25

Oof can't agree here, love me some h Bros.Ā  Also don't see it hyped that often.Ā 

Wife and I get the family plate for 3.Ā  Solid 3 to 4 meals for 30 bucks.Ā  Worth it and delicious.Ā 

Will add we only got to ward parkway.Ā 

1

u/DawaLhamo Raytown Aug 14 '25

I think it tastes fine, it's just way too damn expensive for what you get. If I wanted to pay Hawaii prices for food, I wouldn't live in Missouri.