Ask anyone who grew up in Waipahu about Leeward Drive-Inn, and you’ll probably hear about the fried saimin, a paper boat of mac salad, or a late-afternoon soft-serve at the orange picnic tables. The drive-inn sits at the corner of Pūpūkāhi and Pūpūpani streets in the old West Gate shopping center. For more than 60 years it has been the kind of place where a plate lunch is less a meal than a habit.
That’s why it hit hard when a fire tore through the kitchen early on Oct. 2. This profile looks at how the drive-inn became a Leeward institution and what’s known so far about its future.
How it started: the Yamaki brothers, 1964
According to a 2019 Honolulu Star-Advertiser column by Pat Gee, brothers Roy, Melvin and Jerry Yamaki opened Leeward Drive-Inn in 1964. It was described as Waipahu’s first fast-food restaurant, at a time when the plantation town was growing into a suburb.
Accounts differ on how many brothers were involved. The 2019 column names three, but The Honolulu Advertiser’s 2007 report on the sale names two, Roy and Melvin Yamaki, as the owners selling the business.
The drive-inn’s early identity is the one many regulars still describe: quick, affordable plate lunches, noodles and pastries from a counter window, eaten at outdoor tables.
A new chapter, and Korean plates on the menu
The Yamaki brothers eventually sold the business. Citing a 2007 Honolulu Advertiser article, the Star-Advertiser reported that the aging owners sold Leeward Drive-Inn to Anthony Kim, who added Korean dishes to the menu. HONOLULU Magazine’s Frolic Hawaiʻi reported in 2022 that the owners at that time had run the drive-inn since 2007.
That combination shaped what many regulars ordered before the fire. In a 2022 guide to the drive-inn, Frolic’s Lauren Kaneshiro called it one of the oldest restaurants in leeward Oʻahu and named the barbecue chicken, kalbi, mac salad and fried saimin as standouts.
What people order
Based on past coverage, these are the dishes people talk about most:
- Fried saimin, a longtime signature.
- Barbecue chicken and kalbi plates, from the Korean side of the menu.
- Turnovers, which the Star-Advertiser singled out alongside the fried noodles.
- Soft-serve in nine flavors, according to Frolic, plus an Orange Bang drink.
The Oct. 2 fire
Honolulu firefighters were called to the drive-inn at 4:28 a.m. on Oct. 2, KITV reported. The two-alarm fire was put out by 6:50 a.m., and no one was hurt. On Oct. 13, fire investigators ruled the cause accidental: an unattended gas griddle ignited grease in the kitchen’s exhaust vent. They estimated the loss at $903,000, about $743,000 in property and $160,000 in contents.
Operations manager Alex Monterroso started a GoFundMe with a $24,000 goal to help restore operations and cover staff members’ lost work. Hawaii News Now reported $1,330 raised as of Oct. 6. As of Nov. 2, the GoFundMe page showed $2,635 raised from 46 donations. KITV reported that the business has more than 30 employees. The fundraiser page says the drive-inn normally opens at 5 a.m., 365 days a year.
On the day of the fire, a manager told KITV that the business was working as quickly as it could to repair the building and reopen.
Can you still go?
Not yet. As of Nov. 2, Leeward Drive-Inn hasn’t announced a reopening timeline. Its website still lists normal hours, but local opening-and-closing tracker WhatsOpening lists it as closed since the fire. If you want to help, the staff GoFundMe is the most direct way, and we’ll update this story when a timeline is announced.
Sources
- Honolulu Star-Advertiser, “Grab and Go: Noodles rule at Leeward Drive-Inn” by Pat Gee (Feb. 13, 2019): https://www.staradvertiser.com/2019/02/13/food/grab-and-go/grab-and-go-noodles-rule-at-leeward-drive-inn/
- The Honolulu Advertiser, “Waipahu’s Leeward Drive In being sold” (June 28, 2007): https://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Jun/28/bz/FP706280320.html
- HONOLULU Magazine / Frolic Hawaiʻi, “Two-Minute Takeout: Waipahu’s Leeward Drive Inn” by Lauren Kaneshiro (Feb. 25, 2022): https://www.honolulumagazine.com/two-minute-takeout-waipahus-leeward-drive-inn/
- Honolulu Star-Advertiser, “Firefighters extinguish early-morning blaze at Leeward Drive-Inn” (Oct. 2, 2026): https://www.staradvertiser.com/2026/10/02/breaking-news/firefighters-extinguish-early-morning-blaze-at-leeward-drive-inn/
- KITV, “Early-morning fire consumes Leeward Drive-Inn in Waipahu,” Kristen Consillio (Oct. 2, 2026): https://www.kitv.com/news/early-morning-fire-consumes-leeward-drive-inn-in-waipahu/article_fdcf0b5b-0671-456b-bad8-182b0349fe92.html
- KITV, “Fire at Leeward Drive-Inn in Waipahu ruled accidental, caused by unattended gas griddle”: https://www.kitv.com/news/fire-at-leeward-drive-inn-in-waipahu-ruled-accidental-caused-by-unattended-gas-griddle/article_cf886105-0c47-4a40-8f50-7a42c27d35c2.html
- Hawaii News Now, “Waipahu building fire causes $903k in damage, classified as accidental” (Oct. 14, 2026): https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2026/10/14/waipahu-building-fire-causes-903k-damage-classified-accidental/
- Hawaii News Now, “Online fundraiser aims to help Leeward Drive-Inn reopen after kitchen fire” (Oct. 6, 2026): https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2026/10/07/online-fundraiser-aims-help-leeward-drive-inn-reopen-after-kitchen-fire/
- GoFundMe, “Help Rebuild Leeward Drive-Inn,” organized by Alex Monterroso (total checked Nov. 2, 2026): https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-rebuild-leeward-driveinn
- Leeward Drive-Inn website; WhatsOpening Hawaiʻi listing (checked Nov. 2, 2026)
Filed under Central Oahudrive-innfried saiminHawaii restaurant historyLeeward Drive-InnLeeward Oahulocal business profileplate lunchWaipahu
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