Honolulu Airport Planning Alan Wong Dining Through 2027

Avolta and the Hawaii Department of Transportation confirmed on September 22, 2026, that HMSHost will add a new round of Hawaii-linked restaurants, bars and grab-and-go counters at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, Lihue Airport on Kauai, and Kahului Airport on Maui. The company named chef Alan Wong in the official notice and said the program will roll out through the end of 2027, with no individual opening dates posted yet.

If you are booking an island trip or a long Honolulu connection, this is a dining and layover-planning change, not a new airport operator. HMSHost remains the long-term food partner. Pair the airport meal plan with a Hawaii packing list so food, liquids and connection time stay in the same checklist.

Three Hawaii Gateways Get Named Local Concepts

The official Avolta company notice frames the work as a partnership with HDOT, not a new bid that boots the current food operator. Avolta President and CEO, North America, Steve Johnson said the new options will be “marquee experiences” built around Hawaii cuisine. HDOT Director Ed Sniffen said the state has been working with HMSHost and local chefs, brewers and distillers so residents see familiar flavors and visitors can eat island food before they leave the terminal.

Beat of Hawaii reported the same week that HMSHost has now attached specific names to terminals. Honolulu is slated for four of the newly listed concepts: Alan Wong’s and Aloha Plate in Terminal 2, The Lei-Over as a sister idea to Honolulu’s The Lei Stand, and “On the Fly” by MW Restaurant from chefs Wade Ueoka and Michelle Karr-Ueoka in Terminal 1.

Those names are the traveler-facing brands. They are not independent leases that replace HMSHost at the register.

Lihue is listed for two. Wailua Falls Market is described as sandwiches, salads, fruit, juices and other grab-and-go items. Koloa Rum Company Cocktail Room is described as the first airport concept of its kind at the smaller Kauai terminal. Kahului is listed for The Tap House by Maui Brewing Co., with beers, seltzers and cocktails, plus an Ocean Organic Farm and Distillery counter tied to that Maui producer. If your trip ends or starts on Maui, the same Kahului side of the island also has the Kahului cruise port for harbor logistics on a mixed air-and-ship itinerary.

What Stays the Same at the Counter

HMSHost already runs a large share of North American airport food. Avolta, its parent, said HMSHost is HDOT’s existing partner. Travelers should not expect a set of fully independent Hawaii restaurants to take over the terminals. The local names will appear on signs and menus. The concessionaire behind staffing, hours and payment systems remains HMSHost unless a later notice says otherwise.

That matters for hours, mobile ordering and whether a favorite chef’s downtown restaurant rules apply airside. Airport versions are usually shorter menus, longer hours and airport prices. Beat of Hawaii noted that the announcements still do not say who owns each shop, how the local name is licensed, or how revenue is split. Until those terms are public, treat the chef and brand names as the product you will see, not as a promise that the original restaurant is relocating.

Existing Shops Remain During the Refresh

HMSHost said current concessions will not vanish when the new names arrive. Beat of Hawaii reported that Stinger Rays and Lahaina Chicken are due for refreshed spaces, as are Burger King, California Pizza Kitchen and Dunkin’. Digital waitlists, QR ordering and payment, and self-order kiosks are part of the same package. Those tools can shrink a tight connection if they actually go live with the remodel, and they can add friction if a kiosk is the only way to order during a rush.

Honolulu remains the busiest of the three airports and the one where a meal choice most often collides with a long-haul or neighbor-island connection. Night work at the field is a separate stream. Deep Arrival already covered Honolulu Airport’s nightly runway closures, which change departure windows. Dining hours inside the terminal are not the same as runway hours. Confirm both if you are connecting after 10 p.m.

Kahului and Lihue are smaller, so a single new bar or market can change the whole post-security choice set. A Maui visitor who also has a port day can use the Kahului things to do guide for time on the ground, then treat the airport taproom as a last stop, not the day’s plan. Kauai travelers should assume Lihue still has a thinner food map until Wailua Falls Market and the rum room actually open.

How to Time a Meal Before Dates Are Posted

No shop on the September 22 list has a public opening day. Avolta and HDOT described a program. Beat of Hawaii placed the build-out through the end of 2027. That is a planning horizon, not a reservation window. Do not count on Alan Wong’s, Maui Brewing or Koloa Rum being open for a trip this fall unless the airport or HMSHost later posts a date.

For trips already booked in 2026, keep using the current map: national brands plus the shops HMSHost already operates. For trips in 2027, watch HMSHost, HDOT and the three airport sites about 30 days out. If a concept opens without a posted menu or price, budget airport-premium pricing and a shorter menu than the downtown original.

If you have a connection under 90 minutes at Honolulu, do not plan a sit-down chef meal until the shop posts hours that cover your bank. Grab-and-go at Terminal 1 or 2 is the safer default. At Lihue and Kahului, a delayed neighbor-island flight can close the only new bar before you clear security, so keep a landside backup in town.