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HPR-Produced Talk Shows

The Conversation: Restaurants In Crisis

We are moving into the second week of the shutdown on Oahu. For those in the food service industry, it has been a long six months grappling with the uncertainty around this health and economic crisis. Planning has been pretty hard to do - most people hoped for a short turnaround but recovery is moving ever so slowly. So many businesses have shut down and many more are hanging by a thread and the supply chain has a taken a hit.

Our show today discusses the challenges facing the food service industry caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Our guests:

  • Peter Merriman, owner and chef of Merriman's Hawaii, a collection of restaurants across the state;
  • Tambara Garrick, incoming chair of the board of the Hawaii Restaurant Association, and vice president of the Maui Pineapple Store; and
  • Unyong Nakata, marketing manager, Y. Hata & Co., a 107-year-old Hawaii-based food industry wholesaler.

We like to hear from you. Give us your feedback by calling our Talkback line at 808-792-8217; recording a voice memo and emailing it to talkback@hawaiipublicradio.org; or sending a written email to talkback@hawaiipublicradio.org.

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Catherine Cruz is the host of The Conversation. Contact her at ccruz@hawaiipublicradio.org.
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