Source: Star Bulletin
On August 11, 2004 Star Bulletin reported, "Buddha Bar opened Thursday in Waikiki with promoters promising 'a modern upscale European nightclub with Asian accents' modeled on a Paris bar with the same name. [However] local Buddhists, offended at the use of a revered name, launched a letter-writing campaign to city and state government agencies... The bar manager took a sidewalk Buddha Bar signboard down at the direction of the Honolulu Liquor Commission... The name can be reinstated if the bar operator goes through the [approval] process. House of Hong still has a restaurant license good through next June 30, Weatherwax said, but the owner needs to apply for a license category change if it is being changed to a bar. The size of a business sign is regulated by the city, but not its content, said Department of Planning and Permitting Director Eric Crispin. City building and zoning laws provide for limits on size, placement and number of signs at a business location."