L&L Hawaiian Barbecue celebrates National Spam Musubi Day

L&L Hawaiian Barbecue in Annandale invites the public to celebrate the fourth annual National SPAM® Musubi Day on Thursday, Aug. 8.

Spam musubi, a popular Hawaiian snack, consists of rice and Spam wrapped in seaweed.

Come to the restaurant, at 4363 John Marr Drive, on that day for a free Spam musubi. To redeem the offer, download the L&L mobile app from the Apple Store or Google Play, click on the free Spam Musubi coupon, and add it to your cart.

Patrons can enter a sweepstakes for a pair of tickets to Hawaii on Alaska Airlines. Sign up on the L&L website, social media, or mobile app.

This year’s National Spam Musubi Day holds special significance as it coincides with the one-year anniversary of the Lahaina wildfires. L&L Hawaiian Barbecue is honoring this date by matching donations to the Maui Strong Fund supporting the ongoing rebuilding efforts. Customers can donate through the L&L website or mobile app.

Related story: Tiger Sugar, L&L Hawaiian Barbecue open in Annandale

National Spam Musubi Day was officially recognized as a national holiday in 2021 through a proclamation by Hawaii’s governor and recognition in the National Day Archives. The date, Aug. 8 (8/08) was chosen because 808 is Hawaii’s area code.

Musubi is a variation of onigiri, a Japanese snack consisting of rice shaped into a ball or triangle, wrapped securely in nori, and filled with meat or salted vegetables.

During World War II, Spam, a processed canned meat produced by Hormel Foods, was brought to Hawaii to feed U.S. soldiers. Surplus Spam became available to civilians, who integrated it into their diet due to the scarcity of fresh meat. It has remained a popular element of Hawaiian cuisine.

According to L&L lore, the first Spam musubi was created on the island of Kauai in 1983.

Chinese immigrants Eddie Flores and Johnson Kam acquired L&L Dairy in 1976. They transformed it into L&L Hawaiian Barbecue, specializing in the Hawaiian plate lunch, and expanded to the continental United States.

L&L sells over 6.2 million of the treats annually, or roughly 17,000 daily, across all 230 locations. The L&L in Annandale is the only one in Northern Virginia.