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The accidental franchisor: Eddie Flores Jr. kicks off Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit with candid look at L&L Hawaiian Barbecue

Eddie Flores Jr. transitioned from real estate to become the franchisor of L&L Hawaiian Barbecue, building a legacy based on the "aloha spirit" and family values that has grown into a leading international restaurant chain.

Doug Gabbard, head of growth for Delightree, interviews Eddie Flores, Jr. co-founder of L&L Hawaiian Barbecue. Photo: Willie Lawless/ Connect

March 17, 2026

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Eddie Flores Jr. didn't set out to become a franchisor when he opened L&L Hawaiian Barbecue some 50 years ago. The University of Hawaii graduate bought the first restaurant in 1976 for his mother, who was a dishwasher at another restaurant at the time.

At the Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit, held in San Diego this week, Flores sat down with Doug Gabbard, head of growth for Delightree, for a frank and often times candid look at his transition from real estate to franchising, and the strategic — yet often fortuitous — decisions that led to L&L's expansion into the U.S. mainland and beyond.

Throughout the interview, Flores emphasized the importance of the "aloha spirit," the power of the Hawaiian brand as a major draw for customers, and the core philosophy of ohana (family) that continues to define the brand under his daughter Elisia's current corporate leadership.

The concept now has more than 235 locations, and began as L&L Drive Inn which transitioned into L&L Hawaiian Barbecue. The accidental franchisor and his partner, co-founder Johnson Kam, expanded the brand from Hawaii in 1976 to the U.S. mainland in 1999, starting with California offering Hawaiian plate lunches with a focus on franchising, community and the Aloha spirit.

The concept

Kam, an immigrant from Macau who moved to Hawaii in 1971, bought the original L&L Drive Inn on Lily Street in Honolulu in 1976. By the time Kam and Flores Jr., a Chinese immigrant, had 40 units in Hawaii, they thought it was time to grow into the mainland and in 1999, they opened their first store in California.

"I was getting pretty tired of real estate after about 20 years. I said, 'Well, gee, you're doing pretty well, maybe I should be involved. I should do franchising.' Believe me, franchising is very difficult. A lot of people think, 'Yeah, I can do franchising,' but it's very difficult,'" Flores Jr. said. "The word "Hawaiian, to me, is the key, is the biggest draw."

L&L Hawaiian Barbecue has been named Entrepreneur's No. 1 Asian food franchisee in the U.S. for eight consecutive years.

Known for its plate lunches of barbecue chicken, hamburger steak, eggs and gravy, L&L Hawaiian Barbecue is also home to SPAM Musubi, which was available in California until the brand introduced it. It's now a local favorite and can be found as far away as Japan. SPAM Musubi is a slice of SPAM potted meat with rice and sauce and wrapped with seaweed that's eaten almost as if one were eating a big hamburger.

The food is a mixture of Asian American cuisine and is served with two scoops of rice and a side of macaroni salad made with quality mayonnaise.

Flores Jr. admits he doesn't spend a lot of marketing, instead relying on word of mouth for his brand. Franchisees pay $200 a month.

He follows current trends, like creating an Atkin's Diet plate with three eggs and five pieces of meat.

"So, that's a type of promotion we did quite often," Flores said. "Another we did quite often is the 76-cent. Every year we give away a free plate lunch for 76 cents. People would actually wait for that meal the night before. Hundreds of people. And we only did that for two hours. So, usually we sell about 2,000 meals. You can talk to anyone from Hawaii. They will never forget that promotion."

The team at L&L Hawaiian got a day named the SPAM Musubi Day, which was proclaimed by the governor of Hawaii. During that annual event, a vendor will donate the rice and chicken and Pepsi will donate all the sodas.

Building a legacy

Flores Jr. has since stepped down from taking the reigns at L&L Hawaiian Barbecue, passing the torch to his daughter, Elisia, who he said has built systems, focused on social media and put a corporate team into place to help guide the more than 235 units.

Flores Jr. wrote a book, "Franchising the American Dream: The Story of Eddie Flores Jr. and L&L Hawaiian Barbecue," about building the largest Hawaiian based-restaurant chain in the U.S.

It hasn't all been smooth sailing, Flores admits. "The reason we're successful is because we're just lucky, I think." He said 50 years ago when the brand launched that he didn't think it would work because no one ate rice in America at the time.

Still, "if you look way back, there's really no Hawaiian fast-food restaurant. There's no Hawaiian barbecue," Flores Jr. said.

What there has been is a lot of imitators over the years.

"We open one, before you know it, six months later there's another one open just across the street, not too far away. So, I gave very clear instructions to all my managers. Said, 'Anyone come in taking pictures, don't ask questions. Just shoot them.' Well, that's how we do it in Hawaii," Flores Jr. laughed.

One of his biggest challenges has been getting the franchisees to comply, and he admits he runs a loose organization. His daughter, who came from corporate America, is currently changing that.

"I'm very fortunate because my daughter — she's running the business and she's very what we call in Hawaii akamai, meaning very, very, very — better than me. Because me, I'm just a mom-and-pop. I'm brought up being an entrepreneur type. Not really corporate and she came in with that polish — working in big corporation so it really helps," Flores Jr. said.

Consistency is another challenge. With every plate lunch made to order, Flores Jr. said every store would be different. They send people to do inspections, and franchisees are graded just like any other brand.

"But regardless, any L&L you eat (at), they all taste good. I promise you," Flores Jr. said.

Gabbard asked Flores Jr. what he wanted Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit attendees to take away from his keynote address. He said potential franchisees have to do their research before

Mistakes have been made, such as opening in foreign countries like China, Malaysia and the Philippines — none of which worked, but he hasn't given up.

Said Flores Jr.: "Basically, our philosophy is 'ohana': being family."