- Blank Canvas
- Lucky Belly, Livestock Tavern, Tchin Tchin Bar
- Eggshell Lighting
- Kenworth Hawaii
- Royal Kitchen
- Sig Zane Designs
- Eight Point Distributors
- Autosource
- Island Topsoil
- Honolulu Eye Clinic
- Local Joe
- The Pig & The Lady
- T&C Surf
- Aloha Personal Training
- MD Restoration
- Goldwings
- AW Dental Group
- GreenPath Technologies, Inc.
- Heaven on Earth
- Honolulu Coffee Co.
- L&L Hawaiian Barbecue
- McKinley Car Wash
- Mountain Apple Company
- The Pâtisserie
- Scott Hawaii
- The Systemcenter, Inc.
- Town Hospitality Group
About the Entrepreneur
Jesse Cruz has worked in the restaurant industry all his life. He spent a decade on the mainland honing his experience at different restaurants before opening his own in Honolulu’s Chinatown. Lucky Belly was Cruz’s first, and quickly after opening in 2012 it became the talk of the neighborhood. Two years later, he opened Livestock Tavern, and two years after that, Tchin Tchin Bar. Three successful restaurant openings in five years have given Cruz a lot to celebrate.
Cruz hopes that in addition to being a good partner to others in the neighborhood, he can continue to offer the people of Oahu a workplace and celebration destination they can enjoy and be proud of. And he’s not done. With a goal of opening five restaurants, he’s already thinking about number four.
More with Jesse
Tell us a little about how your business got started and how it has grown.
After many, many hard days working in restaurants, you dream that you’re going do this for yourself one day, that all of this is going to pay off one day. Be careful what you ask for. We have three shops that have been in Chinatown for 12 years – that’s a lot of birthdays, anniversaries and Chinese New Year celebrations. I hope that we have grown as a good partner of this great community.
How did you come to bank with Hawaii National Bank and how long have you been a customer?
We were able to start Lucky Belly with no bank loan, but Livestock Tavern was such a large project – we needed to build the space out for a kitchen, bar, and infrastructure. Hawaii National Bank was very helpful and made it easy to fund the project. They are also just a block away which made it so convenient for our daily banking needs.
How has Hawaii National Bank helped you grow or develop your business?
They played such an important role during the hardest time – the Covid pandemic. They helped make me aware of grants and PPP loans and made it easy to apply and get funded.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned that might help future entrepreneurs?
The partnership with other businesses. We’ve become a team that supports each other. And get your seat belt fastened. It’s a ride that doesn’t have a time limit; it’s 24 hours a day.
“I love the amount of diversity of businesses in Chinatown. What can’t you get in walking distance?”
