Without any advertising or even a permanent sign, Aloha Hawaiian BBQ seemed to be attracting a following in its early weeks, if online reviews are any indication. The independent counter-service restaurant with several booths opened in late August in the former Chopsticks space in Cranbrook Village.
Known prosaically in Hawaii as “plate lunch,” Hawaiian barbecue was renamed when it reached the mainland around the turn of the millennium. Manager Hong Wang says the owner is a friend named De Wang, who sold a similar establishment in California after seven years to return to Ann Arbor and fill a gap in the city’s diverse dining options.
Hong Wang says most patrons so far are students, drawn to a range of “crazy size” Hawaiian combos which come with macaroni salad, steamed rice, and cabbage. The $14.99 Aloha BBQ Mix, with beef, chicken, and Kalbi short ribs, is the early favorite, he reports. The Kalua pork combo with a choice of BBQ chicken or chicken katsu is another popular choice for $12.49, as is the Spam musubi appetizer. The menu (free of MSG but not focused on gluten-free options) also features $8.99 mini meals, a variety of salads, and ramen and udon noodle soups.
Wang notes that these are introductory prices; he expects to raise them across the board after three months, because “for this price we won’t make any profit.”
Wang has over a decade’s experience as a sushi chef, and an array of such offerings can be found as a side menu onsite.
Aloha Hawaiian BBQ, 882 W. Eisenhower Pkwy. (Cranbrook Village). (734) 332–8789. Mon. & Wed.–Sat. 11 a.m.–9 p.m., Sun. noon–9 p.m. Closed Tues. alohahawaiianbbqmi.com
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In an increasingly saturated cannabis market, Berkley-based grower Butter has opened its first retail store in the former Kidopolis play place near State and I-94, becoming the first provisioning center in Pittsfield Township.
“Butter” was CEO Chris Klamkin’s basketball name, and one of their catchphrases is “Everything’s better with butter.” With $22 million invested in their 23,000-square-foot grow space in Flint, they’re positioning Butter as a lifestyle brand with a sustainability focus that includes but transcends repurposing used glass jars into candles, according to vice president and head of brand Brad Goulding.
“We can’t afford to do cheap cannabis, nor do we grow it cheap,” he says. “That’s not a sustainable market model either, right?”
Its “flower” is on offer at some 150 other locations across Michigan, but here it’s featured for direct sale along with a full range of cannabis forms and strains from select producers. Goulding says an emphasis is on having knowledgeable staff help customers choose products based on desired effects, from focus to social, uplifting to unwinding.
“Let’s build a butter world—it’s a catchy slogan, but it’s also how we’re trying to do it,” says Goulding. The former director of brand development at Great Lakes Coffee Roasting sees a parallel with the coffee industry in terms of the broad quality spectrum that various players represent.
“The Zingerman’s of cannabis? Well, we’re hoping to be! Maybe a little less product SKUs,” he adds cheerfully, referring to the many “stock keeping units” the community of businesses offers. “But they’ve done a great job, especially with their education and their staff and their training. What they’ve been able to build in their brand identity, you can only hope to do.”
Butter, 509 State Cir. (734) 385–7880. Daily 9 a.m.–9 p.m. butterworld.com
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Green Planet, an early entrant in the now-mainstream cannabis market, has closed its dispensary at 700 Tappan. Beginning as a patient collective, it had operated since 2010 between U-M’s business and law schools, a site well-positioned to attract annual Hash Bash participants.
A similar store will eventually take its place, according to landlord Richard DeVarti, who also owns Casa Dominick’s café next door on Monroe. The successor tenant, which has several other locations, is early in the planning process, DeVarti tells the Observer.
About two dozen other retail options for medical and/or recreational adult use remain in Ann Arbor, which passed an ordinance September 5 allowing provisioning centers to extend closing times from 9 p.m. to midnight.
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Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea has opened a kiosk in the 777 Building at State and Eisenhower. Its beverages and light café fare add an amenity for the ten-story building’s office workers, while the general public can access free parking from entrances off S. State or Eisenhower. The building’s lobby, which also hosts Kanbu Sushi, was renovated in 2022, according to Oxford Companies, the real estate firm headquartered there.
Sweetwaters, founded in Ann Arbor in 1993, now boasts thirty-nine locations in twelve states. Franchisee Brian Kung also owns and operates outlets on Plymouth Rd. and in Canton.
Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea, 777 E. Eisenhower Pkwy. (734) 368–9917. Mon.–Thurs. 7 a.m.–4 p.m. Closed Fri.–Sun. sweetwaterscafe.com/mi-annarbor-777
