From The Cove:

"Established in 1952 by Gene Kopp, the décor and façade were much different than they are today. The building had previously been a roofing store, made of cinderblock, which was painted to tout the original 'The Cove.' Rumors tell of slot machines being residents of the early Cove, before they were made to be removed.

Gene’s son, Richard Kopp, came home from California, where he worked at a ship-yard, in the 70’s to help his father run the business. He introduced the nautical and tiki theme to The Cove, re-faced the cinder block with lumber, and brought many items from the shipyard, including the hatch doors that he made into the Cove tables we still use to this day. He eventually took ownership of The Cove and continued to add tiki flair, rumored to have been modeled after a favorite bar in Mexico, including the classic light fixtures covered with blowfish shades, and other décor that is still proudly cared for, throughout the remodels and facelifts in later years.

During Richard’s ownership, a young girl named Charlotte joined his employment as a cook and worked her way to management and then eventually became owner of the business. Charlotte Meyers' notoriety as the next Cove owner was in her amazing capacity to care for and cultivate an incredibly loyal following of people… lots and lots of people. Her guests became members of her family, whether she called them 'Honey' or by their name, she loved them all. She threw grand parties, danced while balancing shot glasses on her head, and was perpetually the life of the party – whether at The Cove or supporting other local businesses. Her loving nature extended to her predecessors, whole heartedly pouring herself into introducing the next owners to her loyal patrons and friends, and mentoring during the next transitional period.

Debra and Johnny Urrutia purchased The Cove in 2005, having minimal experience in the bar and restaurant industry. They were local entertainers who wanted to have a place of their own to celebrate live music after other venues either closed or traded in their stages for pre recorded music. Deb left her profession in teaching to take Charlotte’s crash course in bar & restaurant management, and, perhaps against the odds, eventually found her footing and came to cherish the role.

Deb and John, with the help of friends, family, and supporters, chose one area at a time to remodel or refurbish. They added a patio for outdoor seating, completely remodeled the bathrooms and kitchen, replaced the bar, and added a saltwater fish tank for guests to enjoy. All the while, there was a strong dedication to keep the integrity of the theme and the richness of the history. Throughout their years of ownership, business has steadily grown, thanks to the continued patronage of loyal guests and an amazing crew of employees who charm first time visitors into becoming the newest members of our Cove family!"

This was Bob Brooks's second Seven Seas location. The first was in Hollywood.

This pre-tiki bar was located in Las Vegas at the Nevada Biltmore, but it was short-lived, lasting just from 1942-1944.

From the Las Vegas ashtray website:

“The Biltmore was built on this corner in 1942 by Bob Brooks. His single-story resort on 17 acres -- featuring a hotel, cottages, showroom, casino, restaurant, bar and pool-was Polynesian-themed, a motif he'd brought with him from his famous Seven Seas restaurant and lounge in Hollywood.For nearly three years the investment paid off, thanks to business from the expanding Army Air Field at the north end of town. But by the end of 1944, Brooks saw the Biltmore's future dimming and sold the resort. It changed owners (one of whom was famed bandleader Horace Heidt who later opened the tiki-themed Horace Heidt's Magnolia Estate Apartments) until June 1948, when four well-known members of the white community purchased the resort as the Nevada Biltmore Hotel Corporation.“

Photos below show the Biltmore exterior with neon tubing sign for "Seven Seas Room" unlit in the daytime (see wide and then close-ups of sign).

The Lanai Tiki in Eastvale, CA had a soft opening August 22nd, 2024 at Cravings Food Hall.

This venue is from Leonard Chan and, the other owner of Stowaway Tiki and The Lost Inferno in Orange County, Dominic Iapello.

The Lanai Tiki lives up to its name as an outside but mostly covered, long and narrow seating area located on the patio behind Ostrea Oyster Bar. You can sit on the patio to order or at the oyster bar.

One treat that some tikiphiles will be happy to see is some of the salvaged signage from the old Don the Beachcomber in Huntington Beach.

September 26th, 2024 was their soft opening.

Lots of details in this bar, including a huge mosaic style Easter Island Moai mural behind the back bar.

It's dark and divey with black velvet paintings and carved tiki masks lit by hanging swag lamps.

Hosting live music acts.

Pele & volcano logo designed by Rarabird.

Long-time tikiphile, Dr. Shocker (and his wife, Rosie Raddish), is behind this venue, so its certain that the classic tiki cocktails will be on point.

Opened @ mid 1960s.

From their postcards:

"This Polynesian beach on Lake of the Ozarks offers a full range of resort facilities, including a superb restaurant with magnificent lake view, nightly entertainment in season, covered boat docks, sand beach, playground, heated swimming pool and children's pool. Mai Tai is conveniently located in the heart of the Lake of the Ozark's most active recreation and entertainment area."

Additionally, their brochure materials boasted 95 rooms in total, a cocktail lounge, liquor store, and gift shop. In season May 15th-October 15th.

Closed some time before 1972, as advertisements for the Osage House at this same site begin appearing.

The Hilo Lagoon Hotel was built in 1971.

The 10 floor building was built overlooking the spring-fed Waiakea Lagoon and Park. The six acre site included lush landscaping, extensive fishponds filled with colorful carp, and a freshwater swimming pool.

The Tiki Garden Restaurant was located on the first level overlooking the carp ponds. It specialized in buffet meals. Decor included large murals and floor-to-ceiling Easter Island Moai heads.

NOTE: As of today (2024) this building has been converted to apartment housing.

Club Zombie, a pre-tiki bar, opened inside the Hawley House Hotel (West St. Clair Avenue and West 3rd Street) on Thursday, December 19th, 1940. It was owned by Sammy Brin.

Club Zombie was one of the first tropical/pre-tiki bars in Cleveland and featured tropical theming that extended from its lush decor to its Polynesian drinks.

Club Zombie frequently featured local and national entertainment acts, including top-billed female impersonators. In 1946, “Boys Will Be Girls Revue,” an immensely popular and nationally-renowned female impersonator revue starring Lynne Carter, Titanic, and Del Raye, maintained top billing at Club Zombie for over seven consecutive weeks.

This club was open at least through 1946 according to newspaper advertisements, and possibly later...

This listing is for the Mai-Tai Supper Club's second location at 141 Grand Avenue in Schofield, Wisconsin. They opened in mid-June of 1974.

It was behind the Kenron Motel on the North end of Schofield, just on the left as you came into Schofield from Wausau. Today (as of 2024) this location is a U-Haul Moving & Storage.

Their large roof sign left little doubt as to what they served -- "Beef N' Spirits"! According to advertisements, they served a complete menu including steaks, seafood, and chops.

Matchbooks from the first location advertise the same, but with the addition of Cantonese appetizers and entrees as well. And Exotic Cocktails. It's unclear whether this second location also served Cantonese food.

However, this location's history is eclipsed by what happened to the old location!

The Mai-Tai Supper Club is shown here in 1978, the same year the original restaurant location at 1539 Rose St. in LaCrosse was sold by Rachel Skoug to Glenn Addis.

The first location on Rose Street lasted under the "Mai Tai" name at least through Mother's Day of 1980 according to newspaper advertisements in the La Crosse Tribune.

In January 1983, Addis sold the property to Arthur Lucas, who renamed the LaCrosse restaurant location "Arthur's Restaurant". The restaurant closed five months later.

Later that year, Lucas was convicted of first degree-murder. According to news reports, Lucas shot Theodore and Carlene Ann Buschkopf in a Winona, MN., hotel room; Theodore Buschkopf died from his injuries. Investigators later discovered that Arthur Lucas and Carlene Ann Buschkopf had planned the hit in order to collect life insurance money to fund the restaurant's intended reopening.

Instead, the building was razed.

Carlene died in custody in 2010. Arthur was released in 2013 after serving nearly 30 years in prison.

Omaha, Nebraska nightclub owner and local personality Don Hammond opened his 7 Seas club on December 1, 1947.

“Skipper Don” spared no expense, adorning his club in tropical splendor with a maritime / Pacific island motif. For nearly a decade, Don Hammond’s 7 Seas offered patrons a seemingly limitless parade of live musical acts and entertainers, while serving a full menu and cocktails.

In March 1957, Hammond sold the 7 Seas to Gene Purcell, a featured performer for Lawrence Welk, and whose musical combo was a fixture throughout the Omaha nightclub scene.

Five years later, in April 1962, the 7 Seas was acquired by the adjoining Diplomat Hotel as part of an expansion and closed.

Don Hammond would go on to manage other night spots across the Omaha area, including The Tiki Lounge at the Flamingo Supper Club.

Photo Credit: Don Hammond’s 7 Seas, October 25, 1951. Courtesy of the Bostwick-Frohardt/KM3TV Photography Collection at The Durham Museum Photo Archive.

Tucana had its grand opening on November 3, 2023 at The Denham Building in Parkside, in Birmingham, AL.

It is owned by Nicky Vann Tisdale.

Their creative team includes architect Haley Treadaway with Black Design Architecture and Josh and Shelton Carnley with Studio Carnley for branding.

The overall concept is modern and streamlined without the dense layering found in traditional tiki bars (like in an old school Trader Vics for example). Rather, the atmosphere is open and industrial with concrete floors, lots of windows, high ceilings, and exposed duct work.

No evidence of actual carved tikis, masks, tapa cloth, or hula girls...

However, they do evoke some jungle island vibes downstairs with tropical wallpaper, upside-down basket ceiling lamps, some fish floats over the bar, lots of rattan furniture, and some tropical plants. A couple dozen individually framed Audubon style toucan nature prints adorn the wall alongside the stairs leading to the second floor.

Cocktails are served in a variety of glassware and tiki mugs.

The disco ball constellation room is upstairs. Nicky claims this inspiration came from the Tucana constellation in the southern hemisphere. But as tiki enthusiasts know, tiki has an uneasy relationship with disco...which marked the decline of the Golden Age of Tiki. Still, a dance floor in such a large open space seems like a natural move.

Opened @ 2014.

This is a big family friendly venue that glories in the kitsch and is known for its very large fiberglass tikis inside and out as well as its inexpensive cocktails served in plastic cups.

They do serve food beyond the typical bar food one might expect.

They also have indoor as well as outdoor seating.

Opened April 13th, 2024.

Mary Oglesby and Paul Gilliam, who created and opened the Cameo cocktail bar in Midtown, are the co-owners of Mary's B.O.T.E.

The interior has a dark classic tiki feel with fish traps hanging from the ceiling above the bar, and a back-bar shelving unit stacked with booze and featuring what must represent many many hours of routering native style patterns.

Across from the bar and barstools are diner style booths lining the wall from front to back.

There is also a back patio decorated with pink and turquoise yard flamingos.