The controversy ended up spurring an interesting — and sometimes confusing — community discussion, Davidson acknowledged.

Some Hawaiians and other Polynesians liked the Tiki-themed bar and didn’t want him to change it, Davidson said.

A local Facebook forum also had numerous comments about the situation, including questions of whether it was appropriate for chefs to cook ethnic food that wasn’t from their ancestry, such as a Korean chef running a sushi joint, since the cuisine is Japanese; discussion on the origins of Tiki “culture” as an inauthentic fantasy mashup of tropical influences, and how there are Tiki bars in Hawaii; and comments on the evolution of Hawaiian cuisine to include items from numerous cultures, including those of Asian and Western countries.

In an interview this week originally intended for a Monday business page feature on Hapuna Kahuna, Davidson said that he spent much time in Hawaii as a youth, visiting every summer as his uncle, aunt and cousins lived on the Kona side of the Big Island.

Hapuna Beach was just down the street.

“A lot of this has to do with family. That was a big part of my childhood,” said Davidson, who also owns DeMaggio’s New York Pizza and Bombs Away Café, a Southwestern restaurant.