ABOUT Buzz's Sand Trap Restaurant

In Japanese

Richard (Dickie) Furtado, owner of the restaurant, comes from a family of restauranteurs and entrepreneurs on the Hawaiian Islands. In his senior year at Punahou School he began his friendship with the late Raymond Valentine "Buzz" Schneider, working as a waiter after school. Dickie continued to work part time through his first year at University of Hawaii. Schooled in San Francisco for his formal education in the industry, he returned to the islands and worked all facets of Buzz Schneider's restaurant in Waikiki at the time.

Shortly thereafter, Buzz and Dickie partnered to open what would be the very popular Wailea Steak House, on the brand new Wailea Golf Course, in Wailea on Maui. The Buzz's restaurants have been championed by Bobby Lou Schneider Yeackel and her husband Stan Yeackel, (Dickie's sister and brother-in-law), for many years now. There are presently two successful Buzz's Original Steak Houses on Oahu, one in Lanikai, and the other in Pearl City, both open and remaining popular for close to half a century!

In 2009, fifty years later, Dickie proudly named and opened the restaurant Buzz's Sand Trap bringing the Buzz's name to The Waikoloa Beach Resort on The Big Island of Hawaii. The restaurant is located on the 14th tee of The Beach Golf Course, one of the two golf courses at The Waikoloa Beach Resort.

Buzz's fame in Hawaii started in 1959 when Buzz opened his restaurant, "Buzz's Steak and Lobster" in a Waikiki beach cottage. It featured an open-air, casual atmosphere and a salad bar. Buzz served the entire meal on one dish. He'd serve meat from a wooden platter onto the salad plate, which was still smeared with the remains of the salad dressing. He claimed the salad dressing improved the flavor of the steak. The simple menu and casual island atmosphere has always remained a constant and part of the reasons patrons kept coming back. Buzz's dressings and seasonings were all his own and the meats always had a distinct flavor being grilled over Kiawe wood. Buzz used only premium cuts of beef and he cut his own steaks. The grilled steaks were served alongside the self service salad bar, which was a new concept at the time.

At Buzz's Sand Trap, Dickie carries on the Buzz's tradition of Kiawe Grilled Steaks and Seafood with a Salad Bar. Many of Dickie's own signature recipes are also on the menu, some of which are shared with Buzz's Original Steak Houses. This history tells you how and why Buzz's Sand Trap presents The Big Island patrons such an enjoyable dining experience, with the tried and true most popular recipes from Wailea Steak House, Makawao Steak House and other family restaurants on its menu, served in the traditional Buzz's ISLAND CASUAL SYLE.