Comments on: Trader Vic’s Beverly Hills closing and the end of the classic tiki bar http://www.swankpad.org/blather/2007/05/03/trader-vics-beverly-hills-closing/ If it's Swank... Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:38:49 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Swanky http://www.swankpad.org/blather/2007/05/03/trader-vics-beverly-hills-closing/#comment-365 Swanky Mon, 18 Jun 2007 19:26:12 +0000 http://www.swankpad.org/blather/2007/05/03/trader-vics-beverly-hills-closing/#comment-365 The Don the Beachcomber name has been purchased a few years ago and I am told they are in the process of starting a place in Hawaii. Trader Vic's is not huge in some respects. They do not have as many locations as my friend Robert McClenagan of Ruby Tuesday, but, it does not cost a million plus to open a Ruby's and there are not any in London, Abu Dubai or Taiwan. It's a whole other restaurant business. The fact that they have opened a number of new locations in the last year or two and will be opening a few each year for the next few tells me they indeed know their asses from their heads. Included in that is Trader Vic's Las vegas which will be the largest ever. They have also come out with a new business plan for the Mai Tai bar which is very right for the times. That's why they are opening several a year. Their franchise relationship with their locations is a solid one that gives lots of support and demands quality, but also allows for creativity and a uniqueness from location to location. I have considered opening one and would encourage anyone interested to do so. I have had the pleasure to do business with Hans and Sven at Trader Vic's. They have supported me with Hukilau and Otto with Tiki Oasis and other tiki events. They are truly supportive of the community. I truly do not understand the negativity. But, they are not a small, lean and nimble company and the right person could put together a tiki bar chain that would rule the roost. I wouldn't mind being that person, but, not today... The Don the Beachcomber name has been purchased a few years ago and I am told they are in the process of starting a place in Hawaii.

Trader Vic’s is not huge in some respects. They do not have as many locations as my friend Robert McClenagan of Ruby Tuesday, but, it does not cost a million plus to open a Ruby’s and there are not any in London, Abu Dubai or Taiwan. It’s a whole other restaurant business.

The fact that they have opened a number of new locations in the last year or two and will be opening a few each year for the next few tells me they indeed know their asses from their heads. Included in that is Trader Vic’s Las vegas which will be the largest ever.

They have also come out with a new business plan for the Mai Tai bar which is very right for the times. That’s why they are opening several a year.

Their franchise relationship with their locations is a solid one that gives lots of support and demands quality, but also allows for creativity and a uniqueness from location to location. I have considered opening one and would encourage anyone interested to do so.

I have had the pleasure to do business with Hans and Sven at Trader Vic’s. They have supported me with Hukilau and Otto with Tiki Oasis and other tiki events. They are truly supportive of the community.

I truly do not understand the negativity. But, they are not a small, lean and nimble company and the right person could put together a tiki bar chain that would rule the roost. I wouldn’t mind being that person, but, not today…

]]> By: Frank Gillete http://www.swankpad.org/blather/2007/05/03/trader-vics-beverly-hills-closing/#comment-366 Frank Gillete Mon, 18 Jun 2007 18:33:56 +0000 http://www.swankpad.org/blather/2007/05/03/trader-vics-beverly-hills-closing/#comment-366 Swanky stop being an apologist for a corporation that doesn’t know their head from their ass. First: They are not a huge company, hell a friend of mine started a chain of restaurants just 7 years ago that easily dwarfs their worldwide output. It a niche business, they need to do their research before they grant a franchise to someone a franchisee who is clueless. Sure, its a business not built on sentiment, Trader Vics needs to use a little more savvy & be more aggressive in the marketplace. In fact my restaurant friend had an interesting question, who owns the Don The Beachcomber name? Would it be possible to re-launch it. Leave a Reply Swanky stop being an apologist for a corporation that doesn’t know their head from their ass. First: They are not a huge company, hell a friend of mine started a chain of restaurants just 7 years ago that easily dwarfs their worldwide output. It a niche business, they need to do their research before they grant a franchise to someone a franchisee who is clueless. Sure, its a business not built on sentiment, Trader Vics needs to use a little more savvy & be more aggressive in the marketplace. In fact my restaurant friend had an interesting question, who owns the Don The Beachcomber name? Would it be possible to re-launch it.
Leave a Reply

]]> By: MrBaliHai http://www.swankpad.org/blather/2007/05/03/trader-vics-beverly-hills-closing/#comment-364 MrBaliHai Sun, 06 May 2007 14:57:51 +0000 http://www.swankpad.org/blather/2007/05/03/trader-vics-beverly-hills-closing/#comment-364 Swanky, you raise some valid points, and your adherence to free-market principles is admirable, but the BH TV didn't close due to lack of patronage. It was packed every time I went there, and by all accounts, it was very popular with celebrities, locals, and tourists. It closed because a big-shot developer waved so much cash under the noses of the franchise and hotel owners, that they couldn't resist caving in. He also blatantly bribed the BH city council by offering to add additional lanes to Wilshire Blvd. Enthusiastic patronage doesn't stand a chance against that sort of full-frontal assault. I'd also argue that without conservancy groups, L.A. would've lost pretty much 100% of its historic buildings. Unless you've lived there, it's hard to understand how beholden the entire area is to developers. Swanky, you raise some valid points, and your adherence to free-market principles is admirable, but the BH TV didn’t close due to lack of patronage. It was packed every time I went there, and by all accounts, it was very popular with celebrities, locals, and tourists.

It closed because a big-shot developer waved so much cash under the noses of the franchise and hotel owners, that they couldn’t resist caving in. He also blatantly bribed the BH city council by offering to add additional lanes to Wilshire Blvd. Enthusiastic patronage doesn’t stand a chance against that sort of full-frontal assault.

I’d also argue that without conservancy groups, L.A. would’ve lost pretty much 100% of its historic buildings. Unless you’ve lived there, it’s hard to understand how beholden the entire area is to developers.

]]> By: Mark Steel http://www.swankpad.org/blather/2007/05/03/trader-vics-beverly-hills-closing/#comment-363 Mark Steel Fri, 04 May 2007 00:01:26 +0000 http://www.swankpad.org/blather/2007/05/03/trader-vics-beverly-hills-closing/#comment-363 It makes you <em>not</em> a Nazi asshole. Where you put that in the political spectrum is purely a matter of Dogma over Practice. ;-) It makes you not a Nazi asshole. Where you put that in the political spectrum is purely a matter of Dogma over Practice. ;-)

]]> By: Swanky http://www.swankpad.org/blather/2007/05/03/trader-vics-beverly-hills-closing/#comment-362 Swanky Thu, 03 May 2007 19:00:11 +0000 http://www.swankpad.org/blather/2007/05/03/trader-vics-beverly-hills-closing/#comment-362 Does this make me a conservative or a Republican? Property rights. Maybe that's bipartisan. Does this make me a conservative or a Republican?

Property rights. Maybe that’s bipartisan.

]]> By: Mark Steel http://www.swankpad.org/blather/2007/05/03/trader-vics-beverly-hills-closing/#comment-361 Mark Steel Thu, 03 May 2007 18:13:34 +0000 http://www.swankpad.org/blather/2007/05/03/trader-vics-beverly-hills-closing/#comment-361 That --- couldn't've said it better myself. And I'm certain that you'll get a bit of bashing for being all "Big Business" --- from a few trendies who can't think past their own little selfish ideals. The big question that comes to <em>my</em> mind is, if they're going to all this trouble to keep it from closing now, why didn't they try it before? You can be certain it wasn't a decision that was made lightly... Even all that aside ... It's kinda like <a href="http://www.blogitude.com/2006/12/27/goodbye-opal/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">when Opal's closed</a>. It was her decision to close... I was sad to see it go, and bothered by the direction it went... but... She owned the place. What kind of Nazi asshole would I be tell her she can't close her own bar? That — couldn’t've said it better myself.

And I’m certain that you’ll get a bit of bashing for being all “Big Business” — from a few trendies who can’t think past their own little selfish ideals. The big question that comes to my mind is, if they’re going to all this trouble to keep it from closing now, why didn’t they try it before? You can be certain it wasn’t a decision that was made lightly…

Even all that aside … It’s kinda like when Opal’s closed. It was her decision to close… I was sad to see it go, and bothered by the direction it went… but… She owned the place. What kind of Nazi asshole would I be tell her she can’t close her own bar?

]]> By: velveteenlounge http://www.swankpad.org/blather/2007/05/03/trader-vics-beverly-hills-closing/#comment-360 velveteenlounge Thu, 03 May 2007 16:05:01 +0000 http://www.swankpad.org/blather/2007/05/03/trader-vics-beverly-hills-closing/#comment-360 I am really glad someone said this, particularly about the classic tiki bars. We try to visit the classic Polynesian restaurants in our area as often as possible and are grateful for them, but I doubt most contemporary die-hard tiki fans would like them, because they don't precisely fall into the very narrow margin of what is acceptable in a tiki establishment. They've been there since the '60s, they have lots of tiki and tons of old-school ambiance, but their mugs aren't from Tiki Farm or Munktiki and perhaps they have (GASP) a parrot or something behind the bar. Never mind that these were the places our parents were visiting during the era many of us seek to recreate in our home bars. If they have a TV behind the bar with a game on (and I'm not a sports fan, but I understand you have to have a game on in most parts of the country if you want people in your bar) or the music isn't Martin Denny or Arthur Lyman, then forget it, they're cut. It strikes me as incredibly sad. Very few establishments can measure up to all the criteria that seem to need to be in place to keep some tiki fans happy. Unfortunately I live nowhere near the Mai Kai, so I've got to make do with what I've got! I am really glad someone said this, particularly about the classic tiki bars. We try to visit the classic Polynesian restaurants in our area as often as possible and are grateful for them, but I doubt most contemporary die-hard tiki fans would like them, because they don’t precisely fall into the very narrow margin of what is acceptable in a tiki establishment. They’ve been there since the ’60s, they have lots of tiki and tons of old-school ambiance, but their mugs aren’t from Tiki Farm or Munktiki and perhaps they have (GASP) a parrot or something behind the bar. Never mind that these were the places our parents were visiting during the era many of us seek to recreate in our home bars. If they have a TV behind the bar with a game on (and I’m not a sports fan, but I understand you have to have a game on in most parts of the country if you want people in your bar) or the music isn’t Martin Denny or Arthur Lyman, then forget it, they’re cut. It strikes me as incredibly sad. Very few establishments can measure up to all the criteria that seem to need to be in place to keep some tiki fans happy. Unfortunately I live nowhere near the Mai Kai, so I’ve got to make do with what I’ve got!

]]> By: Kilty McTiki http://www.swankpad.org/blather/2007/05/03/trader-vics-beverly-hills-closing/#comment-359 Kilty McTiki Thu, 03 May 2007 15:40:03 +0000 http://www.swankpad.org/blather/2007/05/03/trader-vics-beverly-hills-closing/#comment-359 Great post, Swankster. The lesson of the Kahiki and other tiki bars should be that they need patronage to stay open, not pressure from a bunch of die-hard tiki fans. Not all tiki bar owners have anything invested in the polynesian pop culture like many of us do, some of them just saw a gimmick for a club and ran with it. And if it dried up, then they go on and try something else. That's how business works. These places don't stay open just to appease a few tiki fans, someone is actually making a livelihood off of these places. If they can't do that, then they need to do something else. Great post, Swankster. The lesson of the Kahiki and other tiki bars should be that they need patronage to stay open, not pressure from a bunch of die-hard tiki fans.

Not all tiki bar owners have anything invested in the polynesian pop culture like many of us do, some of them just saw a gimmick for a club and ran with it. And if it dried up, then they go on and try something else. That’s how business works. These places don’t stay open just to appease a few tiki fans, someone is actually making a livelihood off of these places. If they can’t do that, then they need to do something else.

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