Franchising

Island Fin Poke making Midwestern debut

Provided

November 10, 2020

Winter may be rapidly approaching, but Florida-based Island Fin Poke is bringing a taste of summer early next year to Chicago when its opens its first Midwestern location in Downers Grove, a suburb of Chicago.

Using farm-to-fork, locally and responsibly sourced ingredients, guests may create their own poke bowl choosing from eight proteins, over 25 toppings as well as house-made sauces and specialty mix-ins. With the restaurant's beach shack environment, co-founder Mark Setterington hopes to bring Downers Grove residents to the tropics as they enjoy fresh and healthy meals, the company said in a news release.

"We are excited to open our first restaurant in the Midwest to bring our tropical flair to the area," he said in the release. "We are opening restaurants all across the country, but the Chicago area is somewhere we have been eyeing for a while. We believe that the local residents in Downers Grove will resonate with our family-oriented culture and personal attention given to every guest."

After working in the restaurant industry for 36 years and overseeing 10 restaurants throughout Las Vegas and Los Angeles, Setterington decided to launch Island Fin Poke. The first location opened in Orlando, and over the past three years Island Fin Poke has grown to 10 locations across five states. The Downers Grove location will be Island Fin Poke's entry into Illinois with plans for more growth in the Midwest.

"One of the most important things for us as a brand is to uphold traditional Hawaiian standards in our cuisine," Setterington said. "Not only is our menu authentic, but we make sure every restaurant reflects the value of 'ohana.' For us, ohana is a way of life, and we want every guest that walks through our doors to know they are a part of the family."

Island Fin Poke also said it has 26 locations in various stages of development across the country. While Setterington operates his own locations in Florida, the brand is actively seeking franchisees to bring the poke concept to their communities.