Hawaiian Fork Grill is admittedly bare bones: Its slim menu features a mix-and-match assortment of four mains and four sides, with three different size options (Small Fork, Regular Fork and Bigfork). The seating area is small, catered more toward grab-and-go than a dine-in experience.

But for Randy and Sarah Lewis, the enterprising couple who opened Hawaiian Fork in April, the restaurant is far more about giving back to the community they've found in Bigfork than it is about turning a profit. With fresh, affordable food, they envision Hawaiian Fork as a place for locals first.  

"The goals are small: just to make enough to pay the mortgage and keep the employees employed, hopefully year-round," Sarah said. "We know that this village is very special, and in order to keep it that way, each individual person needs to step up in that way. Even though we don't have a lot of time, there's always enough time to help your neighbor, to help your community, even if it's just a little bit." 

For $10.50, you can get the Small Fork, which includes one meat (teriyaki chicken, garlic chicken, Kalua pork or teriyaki steak), one side (cabbage, greens, rice or mac salad) and a scoop of mac salad. The portion sizes are sufficient to feed an averagely hungry person for lunch, and the Regular Fork (two meats, two sides and one scoop of mac salad for $14.50) or the Bigfork (three meats, three sides and two scoops of mac salad for $18.50) can be shared family style.  

Aside from the mac salad, the entire menu is gluten free. The Lewises fly in banana leaves and spices from Hawaii and use fresh ginger and garlic. The goal is simple, fresh and affordable food that people can eat more than once a week. So far, the concept is working. They track their repeat business and have noticed customers who come in three or four days a week who are grateful that they can afford to do that. 

The Lewises never planned to get into the restaurant business. Sarah is a dental hygienist, and Randy is an electrical contractor.  

"To own a restaurant was never the dream," Sarah said. "The dream was that we want to be able to give back to our community. We moved to Bigfork six years ago and we just absolutely fell in love with this village – it's a village not a town – and so we wanted to be incorporated into it." 

The Lewises are friends with the former owner of the space that housed the Bear Paw Trading Post on Electric Avenue. When they heard he was planning to close the gem and knick-knack shop, they worried that it would meet the same fate as a unit next door and sit vacant. Without a plan, they secured a loan and worked in reverse to devise a plan for the storefront.  

As the Lewises started to brainstorm what business would fit, they prioritized filling unmet needs in the community and kept circling around the idea of a restaurant with fast, affordable and fresh food — namely not another burger spot.  

They didn't have experience running a restaurant, but they know food: they own the Bubbles and Boba truck that frequents farmers markets around the Flathead Valley. The food truck is a family affair: their four kids, who are homeschooled, know how to run the cash register and sling orders.  

The Hawaiian menu was inspired by the food that the busy family eats on a regular basis. Chicken, rice and vegetables that are easy to eat on the go came to mind, and they shaped their menu around this idea. 

Eventually, they settled on Hawaiian food, and the Lewises worked to perfect the recipes and solidify their vision. Their son's baseball teammates became reliable taste-testers.  

"It's been Hawaiian approved, now," Sarah said. "We've had a ton of Hawaiians come since we opened and they said that we nailed the pork for sure." 

The Lewises hope the community will continue to support the restaurant as the tourists leave for the summer.  

"The pricing is aggressive, the margins are very small and we're relying on volume," Sarah said. "We're taking a page from the In-N-Out model. We're hoping to sell more chicken for slightly less. So far, it's been working, and it's been paying the bills and the employees." 

As part of their mission to support the local community, Hawaiian Fork Grill offers catering options and has catered the Spartan Race, the Chamber of Commerce's Sundowners events, graduation parties and business meetings since opening in April.  

In their first month, the Lewises heard that the high school's National History Day team was fundraising for its trip to the national contest in Washington, D.C. and offered to host a dinner event. The evening raised more than $1,000 for the team. In their limited spare time, the Lewises also volunteer with Meals on Wheels. 

"The village is going to grow, but we're hoping that when it does grow, that we can be part of that," Sarah said. "That's why we're so heavily invested, because we know how special it is. We're taking care of each other because it's how it was done back in the day. If not us, then who?" 

Hawaiian Fork Grill is located at 459 Electric Ave. and is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday.  

Reporter Elsa Ericksen can be reached at 406-758-4459 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.