Ingram's Magazine July 2022

NUMBER ONE

(l-r): Cameron and Tyler McNie, co-founders.

Hawaiian Bros

1 st Year

Growth: 2,612.583% 2018: $2,040,201

Average Annual Growth Rate: 870.86%

Gross Revenue: 2021: $55,342,152 Full-time employees: 1,675 Hailing from a family business that included jobs inspired by Hawaiian culture, Cameron and TylerMcNie developed a love and respect for the island state’s culture and food. After defining the concept for what is now Hawaiian Bros— the meat-and-carbs plate lunches popular with island field workers—they opened the first Hawaiian Bros location in 2018 in Belton. That in itself was a bit of good fortune, as the Kansas City region is famous among test marketers for the “averageness” of its consumer base. “We had the opportunity to partner with some of our old friends to develop this idea, and they were located in the Kansas City market and assured us that this concept would be perfect for that market,” said Cameron McNie. “From there, we discovered the simplicity and flavor of the food were loved by many all across the country.” And how: In less than four years, the company has expanded to more than 55 locations, surging from slightly more than $2 million in first-year revenues to more than $55 million last year. That was good enough to earn the No. 1 spot on this year’s Corporate Report 100 as the region’s fastest-growing company. Various trade publications call Hawaiian Bros the hottest concept in that sector, and the numbers suggest it was on auto-pilot from the start. Well … not exactly. “Fortunately for us, we had a background in opening restaurants,” McNie says. “The hardest part was settling on the look and feel of the brand and how that translated into a brick-and mortar store. We knew we wanted something fun but also modern and sleek. Simple is a value to us. We keep making tweaks with every store we open.” After establishing the concept, another task was to build a successful culture from the ground up. “We knew right off the bat how important it was to create a company culture rooted in great service and a place people actually wanted to be,” McNie says. “From there, we embraced the Aloha Spirit, which is to show kindness, respect and to treat everyone as ‘Ohana,’ like family, in everything we do.” From the onset, he says, “we wanted to be a brand where people wanted to work and be part of something special as well as feel valued. Small things like free and fun apparel, generous employee meal policy, flexible schedules, and respecting people’s time and lives outside of work are a few of the ways we have been able to constantly keep our stores staffed. We have some unique perks for management as well that have helped create an atmosphere where people want to stay with us.” Where do you go after moving from zero to $55 million in four years? “We expect to continue to grow steadily with our corporate stores and open a substantial number of restaurants in the coming years,” McNie said. “We also expect to see an increase in growth once we build out our franchise program in the near future. We are thrilled with the response from the public so far and very proud of our growth. We look to continue it throughout multiple regions of the country.”

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I n g r a m ’ s

Kansas City’s Business Media

July 2022