Jason Evans of SilverShark Media speaks to Peter Merriman, Executive Chef & Restaurateur with Merriman's Kapalua, Monkeypod Kitchen, & Ulu Kitchen. In this podcast Peter talks about when to make changes on restaurants that have continued success such as Merriman's and Monkeypod, what defines a great guest experience, whether he can dine at his own restaurants as a customer or does work always creep into his mind, what went into opening Ulu Kitchen at the Westin Maui Resort & Spa in 2024, how a resort property can differ from an independent location, determining where a new menu item fits amongst the different restaurants, business lessons from the recovery in the pandemic that came to mind after the 2023 fires, his take on the restaurant industry in Maui currently and whether that differs statewide, industry challenges such as staffing and fish supply, supporting ag partners through ups and downs, the importance of affordable housing to the Maui workforce, what encourages him currently about the industry in Maui, sustainability initiatives such as using high quality boxed wine to reduce the amount of glass bottles that are discarded, goals for the future including the opening of a new restaurant in south Maui in 2026, and his advice to anyone looking to open a restaurant in Maui in the next year.
