Tommy Cox purchased an existing bar called Rossi’s. After purchasing, Cox reopened it as the Quarterdeck and then renamed it Tommy’s Pier 41 a year later.

It became "Tiburon Tommie's Pier 41" in December of 1958 when it was re-opened and expanded into a Polynesian style restaurant (a partnership between Tommy Cox and Johnny Won who was a former chef at Skipper Kent’s).

In 1963 it was renamed "Tiburon Tommie's Mai Tai" for its famed apricot-brandy version of the drink (equal parts lemon, orange and pineapple juices, gold and dark rums and the apricot brandy).

The building was large, and situated on the water on historic Main St. in Tiburon, across the bay from San Francisco. Its upper level was the "Maori Sky Room," used in later years only for storage.

Tommy Cox retired in 1976. The Won family bought out his half.

Tiburon Tommie's lasted longer than many of the grand tiki places, closing in 1995 when Alice Won (wife of the then sole owner, Johnny Won) suffered a stroke. When it went out of business, many of its items were reportedly found in a dumpster, and then sold at auction. Many members of the then-burgeoning San Francisco tiki scene were able to purchase items from the decor. In the early '00s, the building was torn down, and now condos are on the spot.