Pono Burger Retreats From WeHo, Ending Once-Promising Expansion

Pono Burger’s big ideas of changing the burger conversation in Los Angeles seem to have died, alongside plans to continue flipping patties on Sunset Strip in West Hollywood. A tipster writes in to say that Pono is officially done serving at their Sunset Boulevard location, leaving only the Santa Monica original up and running for the company.

For a time it seemed that Pono would soon be everywhere, a sort of next-generation Umami Burger with a Hawaiian backbone and lots of cheer. The burgeoning restaurant chain grew fast from one location to several, first in Venice and then over in West Hollywood. Neither was able to catch on long-term, though, as Venice is now a different restaurant called Makani from Pono owner Makani Carzino.

West Hollywood, for its part, has apparently become a new restaurant operating under the name Lady Coco, complete with new owners. The flip just happened last week, which is why Pono Burger’s Yelp page and OpenTable still seem to be up and running.

A Yelp poster from July 4 notes the new name and menu, showing off a bill of fare that includes options like ponzu avocado dip, flat iron steak, salads, charcuterie, and pizza. Eater reached out to Pono Burger directly for more information, but has not heard back.

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