---
title: "Nation's Restaurant News: Kona Grill works to turn around struggling sales"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/46d4bdff-d5d2-4e46-8c26-546e1b1c36b1
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/nations-restaurant-news-kona-grill-works-to-turn-around-struggling-sales-2706028
category: "Casual dining"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Casual dining"
published: 2018-03-23T22:17:26.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T04:09:53.811Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/74b822422f358411c576c4e2871f6feb6868.jpg
---

# Nation's Restaurant News: Kona Grill works to turn around struggling sales

**TL;DR:** Kona Grill is taking steps to reverse its struggling sales, including menu innovation and a pause in new openings. The brand's sushi sales continue to rise, which will be beneficial in the long-term.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2018-03-23. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/nations-restaurant-news-kona-grill-works-to-turn-around-struggling-sales-2706028).*

## Story

As same-store sales continue to decline at Kona Grill, the brand is taking steps to reverse its fortune. According to a recent article in Nation's Restaurant News, the company will use menu innovation, an enhanced training program and a pause in new openings in order to turn things around.

"We're evaluating everything that we do and the service offerings provided by different partners. We believe there are opportunities to consolidate the products and services we purchase from multiple vendors and ultimately realize cost savings from these efforts,” said CEO and President Berke Bakay.

The brand's sushi sales continue to rise, which will be beneficial in the long-term as the dishes require lower a lower overall supply cost. In an effort to cut costs across the board, Kona Grill will not open any new locations in 2018. The brand has also negotiated rent abatements for select restaurants.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- unit expansion (topic)
- menu innovation (topic)
- sales decline (topic)
- cost cutting (topic)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/nations-restaurant-news-kona-grill-works-to-turn-around-struggling-sales-2706028). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/46d4bdff-d5d2-4e46-8c26-546e1b1c36b1).