More than four decades ago, a woman with three children left her secretary job to pursue an endeavor that she believed could support her family and their future educational goals.
South Kona resident Sandy Iwashita dreamed of creating a restaurant where people would gather and enjoy delicious food made from scratch at reasonable prices. At age 34, Iwashita sold her house, rented another and opened Sandy’s Drive In in Kainaliu on Aug. 8, 1966, graduation day for Konawaena High School that year.
“I went into the whole thing blindly. I was just a secretary. I had never been in the restaurant industry,” she said. “People thought I was kind of crazy. More guts than brains.”
Sandy’s Drive In has become a staple for generations of residents and tourists who crave its teriyaki meat entrees, local grass-fed beef burgers,
bentos, sweet potato tempura, loco moco bowls with homemade gravy, maki sushi and small, sugary donuts. It has remained a family-owned and operated restaurant, something that makes Iwashita proud.
Iwashita, who turns 80 next month, is still “the boss” and oversees the catering side of the business. The recipes are hers, created via experimenting, or the family’s. While many changes have occurred throughout the community and in the restaurant business, Iwashita said one thing that has stayed the same at Sandy’s Drive In is the commitment to homemade food — “It tastes better” — and reasonable prices. The cheapest item on the menu today is a 45 cent donut while the most expensive is the plate lunch with three choices for $8.50.
From the beginning, Iwashita made sure most of the money was put into the food and making it right, not on decor — which is why the restaurant’s look hasn’t changed since moving from below the KC Washerette to its current location along the highway.
Iwashita said she always figured the best salesmen were her customers; treated right, they’ll spread the word and come back. She’s thankful for the loyal customers, family members who always chip in and Sandy’s eight employees, some of whom have worked there for more than a decade.
Iwashita’s son, Aaron Ikeda, is responsible for preparing the meats, creating several of the sauces and ordering. Growing up, he remembers eating every meal at Sandy’s helping out there before and after school. He attributed his strong work ethic to working alongside his mother. In the old days, whenever there were heavy rains or a power outage, he said people gathered at Sandy’s.
His daughter and Iwashita’s granddaughter, Kelsi Ikeda, is now the manager and a sort of jack-of-all trades. However, it’s her cooking technique and creativity that’s getting noticed.
Following her recent knee surgery, Iwashita asked 30-year-old Kelsi to come home and help run the restaurant, where she spent much of her idyllic childhood.
Kelsi fondly recalled how she and her sister would often play the classic arcade games, do homework at one of the tables, or help peel potatoes and shrimp. At age 8, after watching how hard her family worked, Kelsi concluded she never wanted to work at Sandy’s. A lot has changed since then.
After graduating Konawaena High, Kelsi attended the University of Washington, then Western Culinary Institute in Portland, Ore. Later, she moved to Oahu, where she worked at the Trump Hotel, Nobu and Alan Wong’s Restaurant. That experience, along with cooking for friends, reinforced her passion for cooking, as well as revealed the comfort and immense satisfaction it can bring, she said.
Since moving back to the Big Island in December, Kelsi has not only mastered the menu items, but added twists. An example of this can be found with the fries. Regularly featured are her luau fries (crispy fries topped with kalua pork, lomi tomato relish and poi) and bulgogi fries (crispy fries topped with sliced bulgogi and spicy aioli). She’s also got a following for her smoked pork and poi, Iwashita said.
Kelsi has increased Sandy’s Drive In’s presence by opening accounts with Facebook and Twitter, where she posts daily specials with photos. She is also participating in community events, such as Kona Brewers Festival and Mealani’s A Taste of the Hawaiian Range. At celebrity chef Sam Choy’s Keauhou Poke Contest, she won second place for her “Everything but the Oxtail Poke” in the with soy sauce category for professionals.
Kelsi has been breathing new life into the restaurant, said Iwashita, who admits she likes being able to relax a little more.
“The restaurant business and community has been good to us. We enjoy working together as a family and have many good memories,” she said. “With Kelsi here, Sandy’s Drive In may live forever.”
Sandy’s Drive In is open 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. daily. For more information, call 322-2161.