BUSINESS BRIEFS
Renovated eateries reopen
Advertiser Staff and News Services
Three of Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center's signature restaurants recently reopened after extensive renovations: Restaurant Suntory, Beijing Chinese Seafood Restaurant and Okonomiyaki Chibo Restaurant.
Restaurant Suntory operates out of a newly renovated space on the third level of Building B, while the Beijing Chinese Seafood Restaurant has reopened on the third level of Building C. Okonomiyaki Chibo Restaurant, on the third level of Building A, completed its $900,000 renovation at the end of June.
WAGE INCREASE WON'T AFFECT ISLES
The federal minimum wage rises today to $5.85 an hour, but the increase will not affect workers in Hawai'i, which has a higher minimum wage.
The 70-cent federal minimum wage increase is the first since 1997.
Hawai'i's minimum wage increased to $7.25 an hour in January from the previous rate of $6.75. Where federal and state laws have different minimum wage rates, the higher standard applies.
ISLE AVOCADO CROP VALUE RISES 13%
The value of Hawai'i’s 2006 avocado crop rose 13 percent to $598,000 on higher prices and higher yields, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service. Production rose 10 percent to an estimated 880,000 pounds.
Farm prices rose 3 percent to an average of 68 cents per pound.
HONOLULU OFFICE RENT LESS THAN PAR
Downtown Honolulu’s office rents averaged $34.56 per square foot during the second quarter, or less than the national average of $46.81, according to Colliers International, a real-estate services firm.
Colliers’ survey of rents in 49 U.S. cities found rents ranging from $17.40 per square foot in Bakersfield, Calif., to $92.31 per square foot for prime spots in the midtown Manhattan market within New York City.
WORKSHOP FOCUS: GREAT EMPLOYEES
A workshop on hiring and retaining employees will be held 8 to 9:30 a.m. Thursday at the Blaisdell Center’s O'ahu Room.
The panel discussion, “Finding and Keeping Great Employees: An Essential Briefing for Hawai'i’s Small Businesses,” is sponsored by the National Federation of Independent Business. The workshop costs $20 for federation members, $25 for non-members and $30 for on-site registration. For details, call the federation at 523-3695 or visit www.nfib.com/page/homeHI.
WINDWARD MALL BOOKSTORE CLOSING
The Borders Express store in Windward Mall will close tomorrow as a full-service Borders store opens in the mall this month.
There are now three Borders stores on O'ahu — at Pearlridge Center, Ward Centre and Waikele Center — and three Borders Express stores, including the Windward Mall location. The Borders Express store in Windward Mall will close tomorrow as a full-service Borders store opens in the mall this month.
There are now three Borders stores on O'ahu — at Pearlridge Center, Ward Centre and Waikele Center — and three Borders Express stores, including the Windward Mall location.
FORUM TO TARGET SEX HARASSMENT
The Community Alliance Against Sexual Harassment will sponsor a community forum on “Women’s Safety & Equity: Sexual Harassment in the Workplace” from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. tomorrow at the state Capitol auditorium.
Among the speakers will be Hale Koa Hotel workers; professor Kathy Ferguson of the University of Hawai'i-Manoa Women’s Studies department; William Hoshijo of the stateCivil Rights Commission; and Linda Fischer, author of “Ultimate Power: Enemy Within the Ranks,” a book that describes a personal experience of an Army survivor of sexual assault and harassment.
