While not every American would be considered a picky eater, it’s a major challenge to introduce unfamiliar food to people outside what they’re already comfortable with.

“Consumers are programmed from early childhood to prefer familiar foods,” according to the academic paper Consumer responses to novel and unfamiliar foods written by Hely Tuorila and Christina Hartmann.

That applies to restaurants and food sold in supermarkets.

“Consumers say they want adventurous new flavors and international cuisine, but many are hesitant to try something unfamiliar – creating a ‘conundrum’ for manufacturers and marketers introducing global flavors, Food Navigator USA reported.

When a new restaurant chain opens it faces the challenge of getting customers through the door, a challenge which is made harder when the location serves a cuisine that’s no widely known in that area.

That’s at least partially why Hawaiian fast food/fast casual chain Mo’ Bettahs has closed multiple locations and exited a key market.

Getting people to try new foods is a challenge

Noodles & Company, which sells a mix Asian, Mediterranean and American dishes, laid out the challenges of bringing a brand that does not have a national profile into a new market.

“In new markets, the length of time before average sales for new restaurants stabilize is less predictable and can be longer as a result of our limited knowledge of these markets and consumers’ limited awareness of our brand. New restaurants may not be profitable and their sales performance may not follow historical patterns,” the chain shared in a Form S-1 annual report filed with the SEC.

Chef Brian Ouk, who runs a restaurant, Sousdey, selling Cambodian food, explained that it’s a challenge to present dishes people aren’t familiar with.

“When they come in, they prefer ordering dishes they already know. Nothing too spicy or too sour,” he told Cambodianess.com. “It’s very rare for customers to want to try something unfamiliar.”

Hawaiian food is new to many mainland Americans

While, I’ve been to 47 states, I have never visited Hawaii, and like many Americans, I have only seen its food on TV, most recently when Guy Fieri took his family there and did a Food Network special on it.

About 7 million visitors visited Hawaii from the U.S. mainland in 2025, according to data from Hawaii’s Department of Tourism. Over 60% of those are returning visitors, and people from the western half of the U.S. visit Hawaii in about twice the number of people from east coast.

In a country of over 342 million, according to Census.gov, that’s very few Americans, relatively, with exposure to Hawaiian cuisine. That makes expanding Mo Bettahs, which specializes in Hawaiian plate lunches — a sort of pick-your-protein Chipotle-style fast casual concept — a challenge.

Mo Bettahs closed all its Kansas City locations

“A notice posted on doors of at least two Kansas City-area locations said the company “enjoyed our time in the Kansas City area but have made the difficult decision to close our doors,” KCTV 5 reported.

The notice also said the final day of operation was April 10.

Prior to these closures the chain had been growing after being acquired by Trive Capital and Blue Marlin Partners in 2024.

“Mo’ Bettahs was founded in 2008 by Hawaiian brothers Kimo and Kalani Mack to bring the traditional Hawaiian plate lunch family recipes the Mack brothers grew up eating on Oahu to guests on the mainland. The menu offers an array of authentic, boldly flavored, freshly grilled or fried proteins like teriyaki chicken and steak, kalua pig, pulehu chicken, katsu chicken, and shrimp tempura,” according to a Trive Capital press release.

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Previous owner, Savory Brands, acquired the company from its founders in 2017 and grew it from 6 to 55 locations.

And, while it has exited Kansas City and closed those locations, the chain now shows 70 locations on its website. The closed locations have been removed.

Mo’ Bettahs closes location at a glance

• Mo’ Bettahs has closed all of its Kansas City metro locations, including restaurants in Blue Springs, Lee’s Summit, Liberty, and Overland Park, in a sudden market exit reported in April 2026, according to KCTV 5.
• The closures mark an exit from a market the Hawaiian fast-casual chain entered around 2022 as part of an expansion beyond its Utah base, while the brand continues operating in other states such as Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Texas, and Oklahoma, added KCTV 5.
• Mo’ Bettahs was founded in Utah in 2008 by brothers Kimo and Kalani Mack and built its reputation on Hawaiian plate lunches before expanding rapidly in the 2020s under private-equity-backed growth, according to a press release.

Plate lunches are a Hawaiian tradition.

Shutterstock

Mo Bettahs is also growing

Just one day before closing its Kansas City operations, Mo Bettahs shared expansion plans.

 “Mo’ Bettahs today announced plans to enter three new markets — Phoenix, Indianapolis and Minneapolis — as the Hawaiian-style fast-casual brand accelerates its national expansion,” Nation’s Restaurant News reported.

The chain also shared that it has been growing its existing store sales.

“Eighteen consecutive years of same-store sales growth is rare in this industry, and it doesn’t happen by accident,” said Rob Ertmann, CEO of Mo’ Bettahs. “It reflects disciplined execution, the quality and authenticity of our menu, and the loyalty of our guests. As we enter these new markets, we’re scaling with focus and protecting the standards and values that have defined Mo’ Bettahs since it began in 2008.”

He did not comment on the shutdowns.

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