| Updated: 3:12 p.m.
For more than a decade, Mo’ Bettahs has reigned as king of Hawaiian restaurants in Utah, expanding from its one Bountiful location in 2008 to 18 outlets and counting today.
The success of the quick-serve company, founded by brothers Kalani and Kimo Mack, was inspiration to others in the Pacific Islander community and has created a new wave of island-style eateries in the Beehive State.
“We’ve gone from one or two Hawaiian restaurants in Utah to five or six in almost every county on the Wasatch Front,” said Keni Aikau, who launched Hungry Hawaiian in Woods Cross in 2017, about a mile from the original Mo’ Bettahs.