It was her way of paying tribute to her mom and the Hawai`i with which she fell in love. When it came to decorating her new restaurant, Brennan decided to keep with Marg’s 1960s vibe. She took a brief break from the truck to plan the concept and look at spaces, finally settling on a location in Northern Virginia’s Shirlington neighborhood. In 2013, the food truck, nicknamed “Marg,” reached its peak success, and Brennan returned to thinking up plans for a restaurant. Coincidently, there were no Hawaiian restaurants in the area, so the Hula Girl food truck was born. At the same time, the food truck trend was taking off around the country, and that concept appealed to Brennan as a cost-effective alternative to opening a brick-and-mortar establishment.īrennan’s mom reminded her of her Hawai`i roots and pressed her to pursue a Hawaiian idea. 11 attacks, so Brennan turned to consulting, a business she’s been in for about 12 years.Īround 2010, Brennan debated getting back into the restaurant business, just as the economy was getting back on its feet from the recession. Her department was laid off shortly after the Sept. Brennan’s mom arrived in the islands in the 1960s as a Pan American stewardess, met Brennan’s dad on the beach and the rest is history.Īfter launching her first restaurant in San Diego, California, Brennan was recruited by Marriott International’s corporate headquarters in Maryland. It began as a food truck in 2010, started by “owner/chef/dishwasher” - so says her business card - Mikala Brennan, who was born and raised on the island of Oahu. area was getting its first Hawaiian-style restaurant.įor diners in the know, Hula Girl Bar and Grill is not exactly new. So you can only imagine my excitement when I found out the D.C. WASHINGTON - The DMV just got a little closer to paradise, and trust me - you’ll want to take a bite.Īs WTOP’s resident “Hawaiian” (I was raised on the Big Island of Hawai`i, but am not of Hawaiian descent), I know a thing or two about the food and culture of the islands - the pu-pus, the plate lunches, the poke.
J| WTOP’s Erenia Michell talks to Hula Girl owner Mikala Brennan (Part I) ( Ginger Whitaker)
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