Day in the life: Don Ho Dining Club

Victoria’s restaurant reviewers have some fresh (and easily recognizable) competition, thanks to the Don Ho Dining Club. Formed in November 2012, the club began in a break room shared by the UVic paint and carpentry shops, Fittingly, the idea of a monthly dinner club was first served up for discussion over lunch.

But how would the club stand out? “We wanted to make it fun, so we all wear Hawaiian shirts,” says Ken Saunders, paint department supervisor. (Despite speculation, the Saunders Annex—home to both units and their lunchroom—isn’t actually named for Ken.) And the club name? Don Ho was a singer from Hawaii, famous for his song “Tiny Bubbles”—and it doesn’t take much coaxing to get the club to sing a few verses.

Mike Puszka takes the uniform seriously, owning 25 unique shirts. Beads, leis and sunglasses are acceptable accessories.

“The shirts are a morale booster. Brings camaraderie to the club,” explains Michael Hawkshaw, a locksmith.

Each month, the club visits a new restaurant picked by a rotating member. After the meal, a score marked out of ten is submitted. Service, food and bathroom quality are all taken into account, with a rating and photos of each dish posted to their website afterwards.

The February club destination was Pizzeria Prima Strada on Bridge Street. I joined eight Dons—as they’ve named themselves—for a three-course Italian meal, and became “Donna” for the evening.

Though we’re far from campus, it’s easy to see that the break room where the club was founded continues to be its anchor: three Dons work in the carpentry shop, and another three are from the paint shop. They’re a diverse lot: the oldest Don, real name Don Duvall, is 64; the youngest, Michael, was born in 1976, though he claims to not remember his age. Carpenter Lloyd Thomas will retire in a month. Paul Ward is anti-bumper sticker. One Don rides motorcycles. Five grew up in Victoria. After leaving UVic, Glen Ashmore remains an honorary member.

Ray Adrian—who was given special permission to join, as he works for campus security—suffered a minor disappointment at Prima Strada after discovering the pizzeria didn’t have a ham and pineapple offering. Overall comments about the night’s venue remained positive:

• “The great taste of Italy without travelling there.”
• “How do you know? You’ve never been!”
• “It’s a turn of phrase!”

After dinner, talk turns to politics: club politics. Should the club give a restaurant warning before arriving? Some Dons argued they’d receive preferential treatment that would influence the scoring process. And what about deciding on new places to visit? Quantity over quality food produced a lively debate.

After an evening of this club’s camaraderie, it’s hard to believe that some members have opted to leave. “The Hos have fallen on hard times. Some members have decided to become healthy,” quips Michael, whose youthful charm suggests the once-monthly restaurant excursions don’t pose substantial health risks.

Discussion touched briefly on past restaurants, including The Local Kitchen (“burnt ribs”), The Tartan Toque (“an indoor food truck”) and Ithaka’s (“amazing Greek food!”).

The final tally for Pizzeria Prima Strada will be posted on the club website at donhodiningclubofvictoria.weebly.com. For Hawaiian-shirt-seeking paparazzi and others looking to catch the club in action, March’s location has already been decided: Spitfire Grill will be the next venue to experience the friendship and Hawaiian shirts of UVic’s cheerful and colourful Don Ho Dining Club.