ONO—one-night-only food events—highlight the value of natural gas, deliciously
HONOLULU—In what seems to be a popular trend among natural gas utilities, Hawaii Gas has partnered with local restaurants and an online “foodie” community to promote the benefits of cooking with natural gas.
According to Hawaii Gas Director of Government Affairs and Corporate Communications Jeannine Souki, the One-Night-Only series of food events launched in 2018. “We wanted to create an event that supports our customers, creates a unique experience for participants and engages our followers on social media. We’re working on the next event and plan to continue going forward,” she told American Gas.
Known as ONO—which also means “delicious” or “tasty” in Hawaiian—the events feature local chefs in local restaurants cooking some of their favorite meals for a one-night-only group of eager diners. The events are announced via Hawaii Gas’s Twitter feed and promoted on Frolic Hawaii, a popular food blog. “Frolic has a great ‘foodie’ following, and we thought this partnership could help us expand our social media reach and community engagement,” Souki said.
In addition to featuring memorable cuisine, the ONO events emphasize the invaluable role played by natural gas. “Many top Hawaii restaurants cook with gas, and chefs acknowledge that gas is important for their business,” noted Souki. “We are a state of islands, with no grid interconnection between them, so cooking with gas helps restaurants continue to operate during weather-related events and unplanned power outages. Plus, our chefs just prefer gas because of the consistency for cooking and added energy cost-savings.”
There have been only two ONO events so far. But the feedback from both diners and restaurants has been overwhelmingly positive. “We ask the restaurants to select a slower night to host the event, so we don’t interfere with their regular customer base and can help bring new customers to their restaurants,” said Souki. “Both events have filled the restaurants.”
Souki believes there are similar opportunities for promoting natural gas use across the country: “Our basic concept for ONO is to have the chef create something he really enjoyed growing up and then put his unique spin on it to share for that one night only. I think people love to experience and share something personal with the chef. I also think restaurants are looking for ways to bring in more customers, new customers. Come up with a concept that people in your area would like to go out and try.”