By Megan Stoker
Island feel and flavor has come to Provo in the form of L&L Hawaiian Barbeque.
L&L, which opened its first Utah restaurant in July, is Provo''s newest Hawaiian barbeque restaurant, introducing a variety of Hawaiian and Polynesian dishes to the area.
Starting out with mainly Asian and Polynesian customers, L&L has quickly become a favorite for a variety of people, including BYU students.
'At first there were a lot of Polynesian and Asian people because they''ve heard about it; it''s like the McDonalds of Hawaii,' explained Dustin Johnson, one of the restaurant''s three owners. 'But now we get all kinds of people, blue collar workers come in for lunch and families come in for dinner.'
A surprisingly varied menu, including hamburgers and Portuguese sausage, has helped draw more people to the restaurant.
'When I think of Hawaiian I think of really good pork so it was cool when I walked in and saw all kinds of different things,' said Karin Lewis, 20, a junior from Rockford, Mich. studying microbiology, who first visited the restaurant last week.
One of the most unusual ingredients on the Island influenced menu, SPAM, is also one of L&L''s most popular.
'I know when you hear Spam you''re like, yuck,' Johnson said, 'but it sells really well. We''ve actually had to put up signs for no more Spam.'
The food, however, is not the only draw for locals. The restaurant''s atmosphere is 'very welcoming,' said Norma Jenning, a Provo resident. In fact, she said she happens to run into friends 'here that we haven''t seen for a long time.'
'There are surf boards on the wall and cool music playing all the time, which really adds to the atmosphere,' Lewis added.
L&L''s owners plan to bring even more Island feeling to the restaurant starting next year.
'On Friday nights next summer or spring we want to have ''Friday night Entertainment'' with music and Tiki torches,' Johnson said. 'The whole idea is to provide a Hawaiian feel.'
The owners of L&L, Dustin Johnson, Itula Mili, and Spenser Reed, all former BYU football players, decided to open the restaurant after traveling to Hawaii and seeing how successful the franchise was there.
'We always talked about opening a restaurant and about a year ago we just said ''let''s do it'',' Johnson said.
In July the three men''s dream came true with the guidance of the L&L franchise.
'The nice thing about franchises is that they provide the guidance you need when you start,' Johnson said. 'I''m not an interior decorator and they told me how to decorate and gave me the menu and recipes which really helps.'
Already the men are planning to expand through out the Utah area.
'Eventually we want to expand into Salt Lake and take advantage of the Utah market,' said Johnson.
The L&L franchise was founded in 1976 by Eddie Flores Jr. and Kwock Yum Kam and now includes over 85 restaurants, 50 of which are in Hawaii.