A Hawaiian BBQ franchise is joining the Murfreesboro community. Ren Qun Jiang and her husband Chao Wen are bringing Aloha Express Hawaiian BBQ to 2705 Old Fort Pkwy. The space formerly belonged to Chinese carry-out restaurant Fu Sing.
The husband-and-wife duo are not new to the local restaurant scene. After immigrating to the U.S. in 1992, they built the popular hibachi and sushi restaurant Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse in Smyrna. They operated it for 14 years before selling it a couple years ago.
After selling that business, they began looking for their next project. After connecting with the Aloha Express team and learning about Hawaiian culture, they were eager to bring it to the community. When the location on Old Fort Parkway opened up, they jumped on it.
“When we saw this location, we felt that it was the right location for us,” Jiang told What Now Nashville.
Aloha Express, founded by Rain Qiu in 2005, has a strong presence on the West Coast, with 18 locations already open. The brand aims to bring authentic Hawaiian BBQ with hints of fusion to its customers. The franchise serves items like BBQ beef, BBQ chicken, teriyaki chicken, fried shrimp and katsu chicken.
Jiang is hoping to bring more than just Hawaiian food to the community. She is hoping to reflect the culture in the design and how they welcome customers, as well.
“Eating food together is a family event. There is so much love involved,” Jiang said. “We want to treat our guests like family. We want to spread some Aloha spirit and introduce it to a wider audience.”
Jiang pays attention to details in the interior design. The restaurant is on the smaller side, but it will offer 27 seats for dining in. The interior will feature an orange-and-blue color scheme and will have Hawaiian culture intertwined into design elements throughout the space. For example, there will be framed vintage Hawaiian magazines on the walls, as well as an explanation of Aloha for customers to enjoy. Jiang’s goal is to make the space as welcoming as possible.
“We want people to feel happy and enjoy their food,” she said. “We want this to feel like their happy place and a cozy place for them to eat and socialize.”
Right now, they are still remodeling the space. It is expected to open in September. Eventually, they hope to expand to more locations, but for now, they want to perfect this first one for the Murfreesboro community.
“We would love to [expand], but we don’t want to go too fast,” Jiang said. “We want to focus on making Aloha Express a restaurant that people love first. We want to make it cozy and make sure the food is delicious, quality food. Given our experience in the restaurant business, we are confident that we can make great Hawaiian food and serve it to the people of Murfreesboro.”
