Ono Hawaiian BBQ will open its first Texas restaurant in Plano on July 24, 2026, marking the Los Angeles-based fast-casual chain's entry into the Dallas-Fort Worth metro — one of the most competitive and high-growth dining markets in the country.
The move brings the brand's signature plate lunches, built around Hawaiian BBQ proteins and island-inspired sides, to North Texas consumers who have had limited access to the regional chain outside of its West Coast stronghold. For operators and franchisees watching the fast-casual segment, the Texas debut signals that Ono Hawaiian BBQ is aggressively pushing beyond its California roots as part of a broader national footprint strategy.
Why DFW, Why Now
The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex has become a proving ground for fast-casual brands targeting national scale. The region's sustained population growth, diverse demographic mix, and strong consumer spending on dining out make it a logical test case for concepts moving east. Ono Hawaiian BBQ's decision to plant its Texas flag in Plano — a suburban node known for its dense restaurant corridor and family-oriented consumer base — reflects a deliberate site-selection approach favored by many emerging chains expanding into new regions.
Island-inspired cuisine occupies a distinct niche within the fast-casual restaurant landscape, blending comfort food familiarity with differentiated flavor profiles that tend to perform well across broad demographic audiences. Ono Hawaiian BBQ, which has built its identity around the plate lunch format — a Hawaiian staple combining a protein, two scoops of rice, and macaroni salad — offers a menu that travels well culturally and operationally, a key factor for brands scaling into unfamiliar markets.
National Expansion Context
The Plano opening fits a pattern familiar to hospitality and foodservice industry observers: West Coast-born fast-casual brands using Sun Belt markets as their eastern gateway. Texas, with no state income tax and a business-friendly regulatory environment, has drawn a steady stream of restaurant concepts looking to establish regional density before pushing further into the Midwest and Southeast.
For the broader fast-casual segment, Hawaiian BBQ represents a category with relatively few scaled national players, giving Ono Hawaiian BBQ room to define the genre in markets where consumer awareness is still developing. Food & Beverage Magazine has tracked growing consumer interest in Pacific Island-inspired cuisine as part of wider Asian-American food culture trends gaining traction in mainstream foodservice.
Industry observers will be watching whether the Plano location drives franchise inquiries across Texas, which could accelerate the brand's timeline for additional DFW or Houston-area units.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.