Patience a virtue for Hawaii Bar and Grill

Despite the many businesses bemoaning Saipan’s recent economic slump, one island restaurant has found an opportunity to carve out its own niche in the island’s tourism and entertainment market with a new expansion project set to premier this weekend.

The Hawaii Bar and Grill in Garapan, across the street from the Hyatt Regency Hotel, is poised to unveil a new addition Saturday attached to the restaurant dubbed Primo’s Sports Bar. Adorned with photographs of Saipan’s sports teams going back as far as the 1950s and athletic trophies, Primo’s has all the feel of a classic neighborhood bar: easy-going, unpretentious and fun.

Patrons at Primo’s will find all the key accoutrements of a casual nighttime hangout. A pool table greets you coming through the door. Dartboards hang on the far wall along with a neon-encased jukebox.

The décor also gives visitors a sense of the owners’ community roots. Looking over the photographs, for example, restaurant co-owner Andrew Salas can point to several familiar faces from the past, friends and hometown athletes whose bygone days on the field are now the stuff of barroom legend.

Yet the grand opening of Primo’s comes at an auspicious time, with countless other business ventures in Garapan now on hold, shutting their doors or hemorrhaging money. None of those worries, however, have stopped owners Billy Moot and Salas, who have found new prospects amid the island’s economic troubles.

“The key word here is patience,” Salas said Tuesday, leaning on the newly painted bar. “Be patient. Business is going to be slow for now but it will build back up.”

Salas has the inside track when it comes to understanding the island’s economy. A former Republican congressman for Precinct 2, who once also served as Saipan’s secretary of Commerce, he knows that even in a downturn new growth is possible for businesses with the vision to plan ahead, the smarts to find good deals on necessities and the ability to cut costs.

“I’ve never believed the only time to do business is when everyone is doing well,” said Salas, who is banking that the island’s economy will eventually revive and the bar’s location near a string of popular beach resorts will mean a wave of new customers in the not-too-distant future. “We’re just hoping and praying that the location will help us. Tourists are our main target but when the economy gets better, the locals will also come out.”

To make Primo’s a reality, Salas and Moot had to keep costs low. They cleverly bought supplies like furniture from businesses that have closed and garage sales to get what they need at a lower price. In addition, they cut back the restaurant’s hours of operation and the bar’s staff. Like many businesses on Saipan, the restaurant’s highest cost is electricity, which has been in short supply. Recently, the restaurant closed its doors for a day because of power outages.

And Salas, still a politician at heart, urged the island’s current leadership to see the holistic nature of Saipan’s economic woes, whether they be rolling blackouts or a lack of fresh investments. “The government has not recognized the fact that all of these things are related,” he said.

Politics aside, Primo’s is also hoping to carve out a special niche in Saipan’s nightlife, Salas said, noting the bar will showcase amateur talent on its small stage Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday night, such as singers, comedy acts, and even poetry readings. In the early evenings, the bar may also host young entertainers, though Salas cautioned that he might have to block patrons from smoking while young people are present. After all, Salas notes, the Hawaii Bar and Grill was the first restaurant on Saipan to become a non-smoking establishment.

As a sports bar, Primo’s will soon also feature televisions for sporting events, Salas noted, and he is encouraging local sports fans to donate any memorabilia available for the bar’s walls. The bar also plans to begin sponsoring local sports teams in the coming six months.