BY MARK RABAGO
Saipan Correspondent
SAN JOSE, Saipan —Two of Saipan’s longtime restaurants have permanently closed in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Sinlaku, adding J’s Restaurant’s longtime San Jose location and Oleai Beach Bar & Grill to a growing list of familiar businesses that have disappeared from the island’s economic landscape.
J’s Restaurant confirmed that its San Jose location, which had operated for more than four decades, will not reopen after Sinlaku dealt another blow to its aging building. The restaurant stopped operating when Typhoon Condition 2 was declared ahead of the April storm and never resumed operations. For Juan “Shine” K. Tenorio, operations manager at J’s Restaurant, Sinlaku was the latest in a long line of storms that battered a building his family had repeatedly repaired over the decades.
The storm damaged the front portion of the building, allowing wind inside and ripping apart ceiling tiles. Another section toward the rear of the former bowling area was also damaged. The building had previously suffered major damage from Super Typhoon Yutu in 2018, after which its bowling operation never reopened.
“So Yutu, we sustained a lot of damage. I think more damage for me in Yutu,” Tenorio said.
Another major consideration was insurance. Tenorio said the aging, partly non-concrete structure could no longer obtain typhoon coverage. “Our building's not able to be covered by typhoon insurance no more because I think it surpassed the age, and then it's also not a full concrete structure,” he said. Tenorio said his father ultimately made the decision not to rebuild again after more than four decades of operating the San Jose restaurant and repeatedly spending money on repairs after storms. “I think my dad's been through a lot with the building, man. It's 40, 44 years of operation. Numerous typhoons, just rebuilding after those typhoons,” he said.
Tenorio said another round of repairs would essentially amount to patchwork on an aging structure. “If we're going to spend [on a full] renovation, we might as well try and go brand new or something like that,” he added.
J’s Restaurant, however, has not disappeared entirely. Its Gualo Rai restaurant remains open, and Tenorio estimated about 18 to 20 San Jose employees were transferred there as the company sought to retain its workers. Some have been with J’s for more than 20 years.
Tenorio thanked the generations of customers who patronized J’s Restaurant in San Jose and continue to support its remaining Gualo Rai restaurant. “We are very grateful for all our customers. I cannot even put into words how appreciative we are [of] the patronage … whether it be San Jose or Gualo Rai and the continued patronage to this day,” he said.
Although the San Jose location is gone, Tenorio said the family has discussed eventually building another J’s Restaurant operation — and possibly bringing back bowling — but acknowledged that doing so would require a substantial investment. “There’s always been plans to look at something, but it is a big investment that needs a lot of good thought process to it,” he said.
Oleai Beach Bar & Grill announced its permanent closure in July after Sinlaku devastated the beachfront restaurant. Owner Seiichi Kamegai said he had wrestled for months with whether to rebuild before ultimately deciding to close the establishment.
Its closure similarly brought an end to a restaurant that had become part of generations of residents’ lives. Former manager Tamara Hunter said she never expected to see the beachfront establishment disappear. “I'm just really, really sad and I do hope someone jumps in and takes it over,” Hunter said. “Managing it was the most fun job I ever had.”
Kamegai had already been contemplating closing Oleai following the extensive damage caused by Sinlaku. The restaurant’s familiar sign was still standing shortly after the April storm but apparently disappeared after Super Typhoon Bavi in July.
In announcing his decision, Kamegai apologized to customers who had hoped Oleai would return.
According to Journal files, Oleai Beach Bar and Grill had also previously closed due to Typhoon Yutu in 2018 and the failing economy of the Northern Mariana Islands in 2011.
It was able to partially reopen on Nov. 15, 2018 — three weeks after Yutu — but the establishment had to shorten its hours because it was running on a generator, according to then Co-owner Akiko Kamegai. The business didn’t resume its regular hours until the beginning of December when it was reconnected to the island’s power grid.
Originally known as Rudolpho’s Pizza in the 1980s, Oleai Beach Bar and Grill also closed its doors on Nov. 1, 2011. “The increase of rent power and the expenses were just too much; we were barely breaking even every month,” Tamara Hunter, then general manager of the establishment, told the Journal in early 2012. “The economy is so bad right now and it was down for several months, so my boss decided to stop investing.”
Oleai Beach Inc., which did business as Oleai Beach Bar and Grill, was taken over in 2009 by stockholders Joe Iyon Henry Torres and Shiro Matsuya. At one time Oleai Beach Bar and Grill had 14 employees.
It was purchased from longtime owner Gerald “Jerry” Kraus, who lived in Guam until he moved to Florida, and who passed away in 2021, according to Journal files.
The loss of the two longtime restaurants comes against the backdrop of a string of major business closures on Saipan over the past several years, including T Galleria by DFS, Townhouse Furniture & Appliances, Kanoa Resort Saipan, Hyatt Regency Saipan, Asiana Airlines’ Saipan service, the Saipan Tribune, and Regal Cinemas Saipan.
Grandvrio Resort Saipan, another longtime fixture of the island’s tourism industry, is currently on sabbatical, while National Office Supply is set to shutter its doors in December. mbj
Saipan Correspondent
SAN JOSE, Saipan —Two of Saipan’s longtime restaurants have permanently closed in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Sinlaku, adding J’s Restaurant’s longtime San Jose location and Oleai Beach Bar & Grill to a growing list of familiar businesses that have disappeared from the island’s economic landscape.
J’s Restaurant confirmed that its San Jose location, which had operated for more than four decades, will not reopen after Sinlaku dealt another blow to its aging building. The restaurant stopped operating when Typhoon Condition 2 was declared ahead of the April storm and never resumed operations. For Juan “Shine” K. Tenorio, operations manager at J’s Restaurant, Sinlaku was the latest in a long line of storms that battered a building his family had repeatedly repaired over the decades.
The storm damaged the front portion of the building, allowing wind inside and ripping apart ceiling tiles. Another section toward the rear of the former bowling area was also damaged. The building had previously suffered major damage from Super Typhoon Yutu in 2018, after which its bowling operation never reopened.
“So Yutu, we sustained a lot of damage. I think more damage for me in Yutu,” Tenorio said.
Another major consideration was insurance. Tenorio said the aging, partly non-concrete structure could no longer obtain typhoon coverage. “Our building's not able to be covered by typhoon insurance no more because I think it surpassed the age, and then it's also not a full concrete structure,” he said. Tenorio said his father ultimately made the decision not to rebuild again after more than four decades of operating the San Jose restaurant and repeatedly spending money on repairs after storms. “I think my dad's been through a lot with the building, man. It's 40, 44 years of operation. Numerous typhoons, just rebuilding after those typhoons,” he said.
Tenorio said another round of repairs would essentially amount to patchwork on an aging structure. “If we're going to spend [on a full] renovation, we might as well try and go brand new or something like that,” he added.
J’s Restaurant, however, has not disappeared entirely. Its Gualo Rai restaurant remains open, and Tenorio estimated about 18 to 20 San Jose employees were transferred there as the company sought to retain its workers. Some have been with J’s for more than 20 years.
Tenorio thanked the generations of customers who patronized J’s Restaurant in San Jose and continue to support its remaining Gualo Rai restaurant. “We are very grateful for all our customers. I cannot even put into words how appreciative we are [of] the patronage … whether it be San Jose or Gualo Rai and the continued patronage to this day,” he said.
Although the San Jose location is gone, Tenorio said the family has discussed eventually building another J’s Restaurant operation — and possibly bringing back bowling — but acknowledged that doing so would require a substantial investment. “There’s always been plans to look at something, but it is a big investment that needs a lot of good thought process to it,” he said.
Oleai Beach Bar & Grill announced its permanent closure in July after Sinlaku devastated the beachfront restaurant. Owner Seiichi Kamegai said he had wrestled for months with whether to rebuild before ultimately deciding to close the establishment.
Its closure similarly brought an end to a restaurant that had become part of generations of residents’ lives. Former manager Tamara Hunter said she never expected to see the beachfront establishment disappear. “I'm just really, really sad and I do hope someone jumps in and takes it over,” Hunter said. “Managing it was the most fun job I ever had.”
Kamegai had already been contemplating closing Oleai following the extensive damage caused by Sinlaku. The restaurant’s familiar sign was still standing shortly after the April storm but apparently disappeared after Super Typhoon Bavi in July.
In announcing his decision, Kamegai apologized to customers who had hoped Oleai would return.
According to Journal files, Oleai Beach Bar and Grill had also previously closed due to Typhoon Yutu in 2018 and the failing economy of the Northern Mariana Islands in 2011.
It was able to partially reopen on Nov. 15, 2018 — three weeks after Yutu — but the establishment had to shorten its hours because it was running on a generator, according to then Co-owner Akiko Kamegai. The business didn’t resume its regular hours until the beginning of December when it was reconnected to the island’s power grid.
Originally known as Rudolpho’s Pizza in the 1980s, Oleai Beach Bar and Grill also closed its doors on Nov. 1, 2011. “The increase of rent power and the expenses were just too much; we were barely breaking even every month,” Tamara Hunter, then general manager of the establishment, told the Journal in early 2012. “The economy is so bad right now and it was down for several months, so my boss decided to stop investing.”
Oleai Beach Inc., which did business as Oleai Beach Bar and Grill, was taken over in 2009 by stockholders Joe Iyon Henry Torres and Shiro Matsuya. At one time Oleai Beach Bar and Grill had 14 employees.
It was purchased from longtime owner Gerald “Jerry” Kraus, who lived in Guam until he moved to Florida, and who passed away in 2021, according to Journal files.
The loss of the two longtime restaurants comes against the backdrop of a string of major business closures on Saipan over the past several years, including T Galleria by DFS, Townhouse Furniture & Appliances, Kanoa Resort Saipan, Hyatt Regency Saipan, Asiana Airlines’ Saipan service, the Saipan Tribune, and Regal Cinemas Saipan.
Grandvrio Resort Saipan, another longtime fixture of the island’s tourism industry, is currently on sabbatical, while National Office Supply is set to shutter its doors in December. mbj
