The success of Lihu‘e’s historic Tip Top Motel & Café boils down to a careful balance of tradition and change, which is just one of the reasons it was named Hawai‘i’s best family-owned small business by the U.S. Small Business
The success of Lihu‘e’s historic Tip Top Motel & Café boils down to a careful balance of tradition and change, which is just one of the reasons it was named Hawai‘i’s best family-owned small business by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Current owner and manager Jonathan Ota, whose great-grandfather started the business 92 years ago, says Tip Top continues to thrive today by staying true to its values without letting time and habit get in the way of improvement.
What hasn’t changed in the last 30 to 40 years: the simple, home-cooked meals, including the best-selling ox tail soup or the melt-in-your-mouth pancakes, made from scratch every morning using an old family recipe.
“It’s most important that we keep the place with the same feeling that we’re here to serve the local people,” Ota said.
The strategy seems to be working, as evidenced by the endlessly busy dining room — and that’s without the help of advertising.
“(My great-grandfather) felt that if you have a good product and you run things the right way, people will come and spread the word,” Ota said.
Much of the business today is a reflection of founder Denjiro Ota, who took a loan from a friend in 1916 to open Lihu‘e’s first coffee and breakfast shop.
In 1925 the Café and bakery was passed on to Mitchell Ota, Denjiro’s son. Mitchell introduced pies and pastries to the menu, including today’s still-famous pancakes and macadamia nut cookies.
Forty years later, the business moved a half mile to its current location on Akahi Street. At that time it expanded to include the 34-room motel and a bar. The Otas now lease four retail spaces to tenants, further diversifying the company’s portfolio.
Ota says many considered the motel a risky addition in 1965 because so few people visited the island.
“In those days everyone thought my grandfather was crazy to build a motel because nobody came to Kaua‘i,” Ota said. “It ended up being a smart decision.”
When Mitchell Ota died in 1989, his grandson, then 30-year-old Ota, took over.
Ota oversees the daily operations and is responsible for the strategic business decisions, but on an average day he’s just as likely to be found working the cash register alongside his father and extended “family,” or staff. On average, the employees have been at Tip Top for 20 years, and many have passed down jobs to their own family members.
“They are not only hard-working but very loyal to us,” Ota said.
Loyalty to workers, customers and a time-tested business philosophy were just some of the reasons that Tip Top was named Hawai‘i’s best family-owned business by the U.S. Small Business Administration, which hands out local, state, regional and national awards each year to small businesses.
Jane Sawyer, spokeswoman for the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Hawai‘i office, says Tip Top stood out in a very competitive category this year.
“Tip Top went over the top because they’ve changed over the years to meet the needs of customers,” Sawyer said. “They’ve diversified but stayed true to the original values.”
Competing against Tip Top for the statewide honor were the other islands’ recipients for best family-owned small business: Hasegawa General Store on Maui, S. Tokunaga Store on Big Island, and Roy Sakuma Productions on O‘ahu.
Ota also said it’s nice for his family’s efforts over the years to receive recognition, and he knows the award is based on much more than just having kept the doors open all this time.
“The award recognizes businesses that are growing,” he said. “Even if it’s in the 92nd or 93rd year, if you’re not improving, you’re not going to win it.”
Looking forward, Ota says they will renovate the motel and restaurant in the next few years to keep the business “fresh.”
But don’t expect too much change from a place that’s built its name on consistency and familiar faces.
“We’re not here to do something really extravagant that will turn away the local people who have supported us and have been the backbone for so many years,” Ota said.
• Blake Jones, business writer/assistant editor, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 251) or bjones@kauaipubco.com.
