Everything You Need To Know About King's Hawaiian Dinner Rolls
King's Hawaiian Rolls are utterly unmistakable in the grocery store. Perfectly browned rolls peep out from the clear rectangle of an otherwise bright orange bag, and those who opt for the royal treat will notice almost immediately upon picking the bag up that it's featherlight. It may not come as a surprise that King's Hawaiian Rolls are a sort of Hawaiian sweet bread, but you may not know that Hawaiian sweet bread wasn't originally Hawaiian!
The light and sweet bread, originally known as pão doce, was first introduced to the islands in the 19th century by Portuguese immigrants, who came in search of work. Adapting to local resources, home cooks would opt for cheaper and more widely available sweeteners such as honey and pineapple juice rather than the traditional, but more expensive, sugar.
Eventually, sweet bread came to be a staple on the islands and would be used for everything from breakfast to burger buns. What's now known as Hawaiian sweet bread is commonly made with a good amount of sugar and honey, with a lemon peel for zest every once in a while. King's Hawaiian is credited with bringing the bread to the U.S. mainland, but how exactly did that come to be? Read below for the history surrounding King's Hawaiian Rolls!
The brand started in the '50s with Robert Taira
King's Hawaiian really owes its start to one man: Robert Taira. Coming of age in Hawaii right in the aftermath of World War II, Taira was looking at how to best approach the changing world. He at first wanted to introduce Western baked goods to Japan and attended baking school in both Hilo and Chicago. However, after not being able to obtain a business permit in Tokyo, Taira returned to his birthplace of Hawaii. This would prove to be a fateful twist for both Taira and American cuisine as a whole!
There was one thing that held Taira's eye, heart, and stomach, according to his granddaughter, Courtney Taira, in an interview with Misadventures with Andi. She described Hawaii as a very multicultural space and noted that her grandfather grew up around Portuguese families who were always making pão doce. The bread became a bit of a fascination for Robert, who sought to perfect it in baking school by developing a recipe that would let the bread remain fresher and, importantly, softer for longer.
When Robert returned to Hilo to open his first bakery in 1950, it wasn't surprising that the young baker would feature the Hawaiian sweet bread he had been tinkering with for so long. Notably, Robert sold sweet bread that was round instead of the typical loaf shape.
Eventually the bakery came to the mainland
Robert Taira's sweet bread really began making waves, and his original bakery changed locations from Hilo to the bigger city of Honolulu. Taira's second venture, located fittingly on King Street, really put a spotlight on his bread, and this was where his recipe was dubbed King's Hawaiian Sweet Bread, a name it retains to this day.
But the demand for the sweet bread began to outgrow the island. Courtney Taira told Misadventures with Andi that, according to family lore, the family-run bakery began receiving requests to ship the sweet bread from Hawaii to all across the United States. Robert realized the potential so much that in 1977, he opened a bakery in Torrance, California, to further meet demands and grow his business.
Once the company moved to California, it grew in size and recognizability almost instantly. More than 40 years later, King's Hawaiian is still located in Torrance. Claims that King's Hawaiian introduced Hawaiian sweet bread to the mainland seem to be true.
The love for the Hawaiian dinner rolls has grown
Those situated in the contiguous United States quickly came to love one of the biggest and sweetest stars of Hawaiian cuisine, a fact possibly best evidenced by all the uses of the Hawaiian sweet bread in contemporary cuisine.
Parallel to Robert Taira's own childhood connection to sweet bread in the '50s, others began forming their own to his product. In 2021, Southern Living's home and features editor Betsy Cribb reflected on her personal connection to the sweet treat, noting that the rolls were long a part of Southern cuisine, well before King's opened a plant in Georgia in 2010. Her church even served the light, sweet rolls in lieu of communion wafers. The bread, sometimes served as a warm ham and cheese sandwich, could be found at everything from baptisms to funerals to family gatherings.
King's is beloved beyond the U.S., too. In 2022, the brand expanded into Canada, and anticipation was high. For decades, Canadians had taken trips to the U.S. to procure one of the country's most delicious exports. It seems that there's a sort of universal love for this simply sweet bread, and we're always devising new ways to enjoy King's Hawaiian rolls.
The packaging is an important part of the brand
King's Hawaiian dinner rolls simply taste like no other: They are sweet and fluffy in a way that just can't be beat. But that's not the only thing that sets this bread apart — it's not hard to spot these bad boys in the bread aisle, with their bright orange packaging and trademark crown. If anything, the packaging is one of the brand's most identifiable characteristics.
It seems King's Hawaiian would agree: In 2021, the company settled its seventh lawsuit to date, protecting what it claims to be the unique intellectual property of its packaging. Chad Donvito, president of the company at the time, weighed in on the successfully settled lawsuit and proclaimed that the orange packaging is, along with the recipe for the rolls themselves, central to the brand's identity and among the brand's most important identifiers, calling it "one of our most valuable assets" (via PR Newswire).
The brand has opened up its own restaurants
It's no surprise that in addition to the plants that now produce King's Hawaiian dinner rolls, there are some dining options associated with the brand. After all, as Courtney Taira recounted to Misadventures with Andi, when her grandfather first moved the business to King Street in Honolulu, he also opened an accompanying restaurant. It's only fitting that when King's Hawaiian later moved to Torrance, California, Robert Taira would still make sure to open a restaurant alongside the bakery.
Today, there are two King's Hawaiian eateries operating in the brand's home city of Torrance. In addition to a variety of dine-in offerings, visiting patrons can take home unique spins on King's Hawaiian rolls, such as hot dog buns and honey wheat dinner rolls. Those looking to enjoy some fresh King's Hawaiian dinner rolls are more than advised to roll up to the family-friendly restaurants and enjoy the dinner staple in a new way!
The menu features fusion cuisine like King's Hawaiian French Toast
When sitting down at the King's Hawaiian Bakery & Restaurant in Torrance, California, you may be surprised (and relieved) to see that the menu doesn't center around just the rolls themselves! Really, it seems that King's Hawaiian tries to combine traditional recipes with an innovative menu. The lunch and dinner menu features dishes like Kalua pork, ahi poké bowls, and spam musubi, which are sure to capture the hearts of those looking for some savory nash.
On the other hand, the breakfast menu is sure to delight those who have a more of a sweet tooth. The restaurant, for example, serves up sweet Hawaiian bread French toast. Of course, no breakfast would be complete without eggs, as well as the diner's choice of bacon, Portuguese sausage, or even fried Spam. The company's second restaurant and bakery also includes a market, where shoppers can purchase some imported Hawaiian goodies to bring home with them to do some inspired cooking of their own!
The company also had a food truck
King's Hawaiian has its restaurants, and the company has sought out other ways to come into contact with patrons and serve its product. In 2014, the company rolled out onto the streets of Honolulu with the King's Hawaiian Food Truck, a clear nod to the company's history in the city. King's Hawaiian teamed up with a local community college's culinary arts program and street food organizers to create an innovative menu with classic staples. Students designed intriguing dishes like banh mi sliders made on King's Hawaiian bread and also tipped their hats to more classic comfort food like Portuguese bean soup.
While it seems that the King's Hawaiian food truck is no longer roaming Honolulu's roads, you still may find the bread in other food trucks. For example, Courtney Taira commented in her 2023 interview with Misadventures with Andi that food truck legend Roy Choi loves using King's buns for sliders.
The pandemic challenged the company in many different ways
Like much of the food industry, the COVID-19 pandemic proved to be uniquely challenging for King's Hawaiian. The company had a two-pronged problem to face amid a majorly disrupted supply chain: It needed to receive the necessary ingredients to make its bread while also delivering its goods to stores. Nonetheless, this proved to be a blessing in disguise, and Vice President of Manufacturing Robert Hathy commented in 2021 that he felt the disruptions in the supply chain led to King's Hawaiian forming closer and more secure bonds with its partners (via The Gainesville Times).
Developments pulling and pushing the domestic grocery market aside, the brand is also not beyond recalls. In 2022, the company had to recall three separate products from its pretzel bun line — Pretzel Slider Buns, Pretzel Hamburger Buns, and Pretzel Bites – due to possible contamination with bacteria. While no illnesses were reported, it does suffice to say that the early 2020s were rough for the company.
The company has faced legal issues
King's Hawaiian hasn't only faced issues with the supply chain and contamination; it's also been brought to court for false advertising. Two women, Dieisha Hodges from California and Roxanne Colamarino from New York, sued the company on the grounds that its Hawaii-themed packaging misled consumers. The suit alleged that with tropical imagery, plus the "Hilo, Hawaii" in the logo, heavily suggest that the brand is still based in Hawaii, while that hasn't been the case for decades. Other brands associated with Hawaii, like Kona beer, have been sued for similar reasons.
It seems, however, that the women did not make a strong enough argument. In 2021, a judge dismissed their suit for several reasons. For one, the package states, albeit in finer print, that the rolls are made in California, even if it nods to the company's roots in Hawaii. The judge also concluded that unlike beers, the area of production does not directly affect the quality of the bread. This wasn't the first time the brand was sued for misleading packaging. New Yorker Robert Galinsky had previously brought a class-action lawsuit against King's Hawaiian for similar reasons. Galinsky, however, dropped the suit of his own accord.
In 2022, King's Hawaiian wanted to feed hungry travelers on their way home
In 2022, King's Hawaiian offered charter trains to Thanksgiving travelers, running from Philadelphia to New York or from New York to Boston. The trains operated from November 18 to 20 and were in anticipation of larger Thanksgiving crowds after two years of major pandemic limitations. They were perhaps also a means of connecting with potential new customers in a novel way.
The "Roll Home in Style" charter trains featured dining cars that offered garden salads and a pumpkin bread pudding, among other treats such as apple cider-infused wines. For those who didn't need to leave New York or Philadelphia, events were also held at Penn Station and the 30th Street Station, respectively. A visitor at Penn Station praised the concept as hitting major nostalgic vibes (via The Knockturnal), particularly the main course, which was an ode to the leftover sandwiches that so many enjoy in the days following Thanksgiving.
The brand has enjoyed endorsement from different celebrities
King's Hawaiian dinner rolls have certainly found quite a few fans both at the dining room table and behind the chef's counter. Pop culture culinary icon Roy Choi, for example, has long favored the sweet buns for his sliders. He's used the sweet bread so much that it even showed up in the movie "Chef." Choi, who acted as a consultant for the film, made sure to use his favorite brand on set, and Favreau wound up integrating the bright buns into the movie (via Misadventures with Andi).
The effervescent and ever memeable Guy Fieri signed on to a partnership with the brand for all of 2021. While some may write this off as an inauthentic campaign, Fieri asserted that he's loved using the California brand for everything from the classic slider to a sweet and savory pastrami sandwich. He stated, "I've been servin' up King's Hawaiian at home and in my restaurants for years and am thrilled to finally make things official" (via Food & Beverage Magazine).