Patti's Chinese Kitchen will serve its last Princess plate at Ala Moana Center at the end of January, bringing to an end four decades of history at the state's largest shopping center.

After serving hundreds of thousands of plate lunches, the restaurant is closing rather than sign another long-term lease with the center's owner. Patti's will now concentrate efforts on its sole remaining location at Pearlridge Center.

"It was a hard decision to make," said Patti Louie, daughter of restaurant founder Calvin Chun.

"The center wanted us to continue. But our family felt we wanted to change our focus."

The restaurant has been an abiding presence at Ala Moana, watching over the years as owners changed and the center evolved with a mix of locals, Mainland and Japanese tourists.

During that time, many Ala Moana retailers that were once household names in Hawai'i closed their doors, including Carol & Mary, McInerny, Iida's and Honolulu Book Shops.

Louie, whose father named the restaurant after her, said Dwight Yoshimura, senior vice president of center owner General Growth Properties, had been very gracious to Patti's over the years. But the family decided to walk away from the 2,700-square-foot location at the Ala Moana food court to concentrate on its smaller store at Pearlridge Center's Uptown food court.

"We've seen a nice trend of growth over there," said Louie, whose husband, James, has worked at the Ala Moana location for 35 years and currently serves as its general manager. She said the Pearlridge location's menu will be expanded and some of the 40 full- and part-time workers from Ala Moana will transfer over to the restaurant.

Patti's began as a stand-alone restaurant by Louie's father, a one-time food broker who at one time owned a spate of restaurants, including Patti's at Kahala Mall and a half interest in a Patti's at Windward Mall. Louie said Chun was unique in opening a Chinese restaurant that offered a choice of entrees for its plate lunches and placed an emphasis on value.

The Princess plate, which features a choice of two entrees and rice or noodles, cost 69 cents when the restaurant opened. Chun also opened Lyn's Delicatessen (named after Patti's younger sister) at Ala Moana, featuring pastrami sandwiches and steak plates, and Bella Italia, also at the center. While those eateries have closed, Patti's has endured.

Today, the Princess plate is nine times the original price, while the Prince plate (three entrees) is $7.45 and the King (four entrees) is $8.45. But as prices changed, so has the competition.

Yesterday afternoon, there were twice as many holiday shoppers lined up at Panda Express than at Patti's, which is just steps away. Louie acknowledged that competitors may have siphoned away some customers, especially since the center's customer mix may include more tourists who are familiar with Panda Express' offerings.

Yet Patti's has its own following of customers who queue up for its pot roast pork, char siu, beef broccoli and shoyu chicken. Patti's prides itself on making all of its sauces and foods locally.

"We have the best customers," Louie said. "It's bittersweet for us."

But she said she reminds people that there will still be a Patti's at Pearlridge.

"I think of it as a positive thing for the future," she said.

Reach Greg Wiles at gwiles@honoluluadvertiser.com.

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