"We used to work together at another local Japanese restaurant," said William, who originally is from Indonesia. As for the other two business partners, "one of them has a (local) Japanese restaurant and one used to live in Hawaii," said William, adding the latter also has a poke restaurant in Pensacola. "We just put it all together." Wooden letters, painted to resemble the U.S. flag, spell out the restaurant name on one of the sky-blue walls. A surfboard sign is adorned with "Panama City," while another sign says "mahalo" ("thank you" in Hawaiian). Menu boards hang on the wall behind the counter, where customers order, pay and grab a number for the table. Paper menus detail even more options. If you need a minute or five, you're encouraged to sit down at a booth and take your time, and William is happy to help with suggestions.