E.A.R.L. Hawaii

Tell us about how E.A.R.L. started.

Justin: I started E.A.R.L. in 2014 in a tiny little hole-in-the-wall space in Kaimuki. My dad had retired and moved to Hawaii to help me run the business during those first six months alongside a few other team members. When we first opened, things didn’t go smoothly. We faced a lot of challenges, and it took years of trial and error, trying different promotions and specials, before we found a formula that worked. I originally dreamed of opening a pizza shop, inspired by my dad’s pizza business in Baltimore, but a sandwich shop was a more practical place to start. Today, we have three locations in Kaimuki, Kakaako, and Kapolei, and we’re continuing to grow.

How did you come to bank with Hawaii National Bank?

Justin: We were looking to purchase commercial real estate, which had been a long-time goal for our company and family. Through that process, we connected with Hawaii National Bank and found a team that believed in our vision and understood where we wanted to take the business.

Brittnee: Working with our banker, Colin, has been especially valuable. He helped us navigate the loan process while thinking beyond the immediate project and planning for our future growth, including acquiring a commercial property in Wahiawa for our fourth location.

Justin: As business owners, we spend a lot of time explaining our vision to others. With Hawaii National Bank, we feel like they already believe in us, which allows us to focus more on finding solutions and building the business.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to start a business?

Justin: I would say never take your customers for granted. It’s easy to get busy and assume they’ll always be there, but building a successful business is about more than acquiring customers. It's about retaining them and continually improving their experience. A busy year is great, but the real goal is sustained growth and success over time.

I’ve also learned the importance of keeping things simple. People appreciate classic, familiar food, and when your core offerings become too complicated, you can lose customers. Our approach at E.A.R.L. is to make things great, classic, and simple while continuing to improve the experience we provide.

What’s next for your business?

Brittnee: We’re focused on opening our fourth location in Wahiawa, which will also serve as our central prep and commissary kitchen. Bringing our preparation into one place will help us work more efficiently, control quality, save money, and get back to what made us successful in the first place: making our food from scratch. As we grow, we also want to keep supporting our local community through food donations, partnerships with local organizations, and support for UH athletes. Ultimately, we want to build a strong, sustainable business that creates good jobs and careers for our team while continuing to serve our community.

Looking further ahead, we're exploring franchising and the possibility of partnering with local entrepreneurs in Hawaii before eventually expanding to the mainland. Our vision is to create a neighborhood sandwich shop at scale, one that captures the familiar, welcoming feeling of the East Coast spots Justin grew up with. As a family business, we hope to build something that lasts for generations and gives our daughter the opportunity to carry it forward if she chooses.