Pineapple Express takes over Humboldt Soup Company location

What was known as the home of Humboldt Soup Company will now become Pineapple Express’s new restaurant. The lease was signed on Monday. 

“This space, I think the location, the fact that it has a drive-through, super close to the 101, it just kind of felt right,” said Codi Nishimoto, Owner of Pineapple Express. 

The connection happened soon after Humboldt Soup Company announced its business closure. About a year ago, Pineapple Express made the move from Southern Humboldt to Northern and they look forward to this new venture. 

“Everyone up here has been super amazing,” Nishimoto said. “It was like the coolest, warmest welcoming that we could ever ask for. I think that, that gave us the confidence to go forward.” 

The Pineapple Express food truck and trailer will still be available for business as they open their doors to a sit-down restaurant.  The main food truck will be parked in Fortuna, but the location isn’t determined yet. Their trailer will still be available for catering special events. The next steps are to jump through legal hoops, begin re-modeling the location and expand the menu.

“We are actually going to repaint the whole outside,” Nishimoto said. “The paint actually did just get done recently, but we kind of want to put our signature colors there. So we really draw the eye and stuff. Probably a big pineapple out there. The inside [is] going for, like, a modern Hawaii vibe.”

She also said that her vision includes having live music, a one-seat swing, a backdrop area for customers to take pictures and a surfboard bar. Customers will soon have the option to dine in or use the drive-through to pick up authentic Hawaiian food. And speaking of the food, you can expect to see some of their special dishes in the new menu like the Loco Moco and the Coconut Shrimp. 

The goal is to be open by June and have a grand opening celebration on July 25 as it will be their 8-year anniversary as a business. They will have a maile lei ceremony which is Hawaii’s version of a ribbon-cutting ceremony. To find out more information on Pineapple Express’ business plans follow them on Facebook or Instagram.