The building that housed the Tahiti Hut was built in 1959.

Tahiti Hut, itself, opened in 1961.

It was owned by husband and wife, Carl Jurs and Irene Jurs, and co-owned by cook Mary Bulich (possibly not at the same time) and Mary and "Mitch" were later listed as "hosts" on postcards from the Tahiti Hut.

The restaurant specialized in steak, prime rib and seafood, and regularly featured piano entertainment. There was full Polynesian decor, including faux palm trees, floats, a hanging reed boat, carved masks, and lamps from Orchids of Hawaii.

Tahiti Hut closed in 1975.

The building still stands and houses several retail businesses that have changed over the years. As of 2021, the storefront is empty but would have been in-between the current businesses of Soggy Dog pet grooming and Studio Red hair salon.

Monte Proser was one of the first to lift Donn Beach's Don the Beachcomber concept, and he lifted the famous Zombie drink right along with it. Proser was largely responsible for introducing the Zombie to the east coast. He started with "Monte Proser's Zombie," a bar created for the New York World's Fair in 1939. Based on that success, he opened Monte Proser's Beachcomber at the end of that same year, December 26th, 1939, in a space above the Winter Garden Theatre in the Theater District north of Times Square (the same space would later hold Lanai, and then Hawaii Kai). The interiors were created by Clark Robinson.

Proser's chain of Beachcomber restaurants grew to include locations in Miami Beach, Florida, Boston, Massachusetts, Baltimore, Maryland and Providence, Rhode Island. His love affair with the Beachcomber concept didn't last long... his attention was taken by his other, more famous New York nightclub, the Copacabana. By 1943, the location had become a new nightclub, Zanzibar (which moved the following year to the old Hurricane space).

California native and self-taught cook Tsutomu “Jack” Kaya moved to Omaha after war’s end, and in 1947 opened his first restaurant, the Grass Shack Cafe. In 1965, Jack and wife Alice opened the Mt Fuji Inn, Omaha's first Japanese restaurant; the cuisine on offer spanning from Japanese to Cantonese to American.

After the loss of the restaurant by fire in 1969, the Mt Fuji Inn re-opened in a new, larger location that afforded the addition of a dedicated cocktail bar on the lower level. While the main restaurant was a pretty standard affair, the Mai Tai Lounge was a dimly lit drinkery decorated with port holes, black velvet paintings, fish tanks, bamboo over the bar and Orchids of Hawaii beachcomber lamps. There were a few other tiki touches including tiki door pulls and a tall tiki pole at the entrance.

The Mai Tai Lounge boasted a menu of “25 Original Polynesian Cocktails,” including their own spin on classics such as the Zombie, Fogcutter and its namesake Mai Tai, served in customized Mt. Fuji Inn Moai tiki mugs. Throughout the 1970s, occasional live music by such acts as “Big Al” Kaulia and The Kanakas played the “sounds of the islands.”

A family business to the end, the Mt Fuji Inn and Mai Tai Lounge closed in October 2017.

This restaurant used to be a Hu Ke Lau (opened in July 1969), a sister location to the Hu Ke Lau in Chicopee (and several others in a small chain), until the current owners bought it @ 1971 and rechristened it Luau Hale.

The Luau Hale's traditional mix of Chinese food and faux Polynesian decor was in full effect for decades, with elaborate painted murals, Orchids of Hawaii hanging lights, a scattering of tikis, and a dramatic pagoda right in the restaurant. By contrast, the exterior of the building was unassuming: a simple brick structure, with no windows. A menu of traditional tropical drinks was available, and were reportedly of high quality, and potent.

The Covid pandemic hit this business hard, according to the owners, and financially they never quite recovered despite community support. The death of co-founder Sam Woo in September 2023 made continuing the restaurant untenable and they closed several months later on March 30th, 2024.

The King Kamehameha Tiki House was built in 1964 by William Parkhurst, on his own private land. It is owned today by his grandson, Rob Parkhurst. It has been used as a rental facility for many decades, and is still available for rental today.

The building sits off of Highway Y and Dresden Road upon a man-made island in a man-made lake, with an arched bridge from the land to the island. The structure has four peaked roofs arranged in a sort of plus-sign shape.

The space was once decorated with many items acquired during trips to Hawaii, and King Kamehameha imagery was found all around the building and grounds in the form of metal cutouts.

Today it appears to have been renovated and modernized but the structure is still the same.

Tropical Bistro took over a space in a strip mall that was previously a rather typical Chinese buffet. It had many connections to the Kahiki Supper Club in nearby Columbus, which closed in 2000. The owners were Ngo and Soeng Thong; Ngo was a general manager at the Kahiki, and Soeng was a chef there. The Thongs tracked down many former employees for their new restaurant, including the Kahiki's Executive Chef, Mickey Cheung. Tropical Bistro still felt much more like a Chinese buffet than a tiki bar, but there were Orchids of Hawaii lamps from the Kahiki, monkey pod tables, and even a few tikis.

What Tropical Bistro was able to offer was the same food and drink menu as the Kahiki. Drinks were served complete with dramatic dry ice, and in tiki mugs. Those who missed a particular drink or dish from the Kahiki were excited at the arrival of Tropical Bistro.

Over time, with the help of dedicated locals, the Tropical Bistro built up its tiki level (including the addition of a scaled-down replica of the Kahiki's famous signature tiki fireplace).

Tropical Bistro closed for "minor remodeling" in January 2008. The closure was supposed to last for only one week, but Tropical Bistro never reopened.

Built in 1968-1969.

Mahi Mahi had decor from Oceanic Arts, including an unusual item -- an Oceanic Arts-designed mug of their signature logo. Mahi Mahi was later purchased by Jim Walls in 1970. Jim was owner of the nearby Omni Hut, which closed in 2018.

Walls brought in Eli Hedley from California. Hedley is quoted, saying: "In 1971 I remade the Mahi-Mahi in Nashville with unlimited funds, which is how I like to work."

Whether it was the extravagant re-build or other expenses, however, the Mahi Mahi's day's were numbered.

Walls also took on the Mahi Mahi's debt, and despite efforts to improve the menu, the new Mahi Mahi closed after just a year. The Mahi Mahi later became Blue Hawaii. The building, which had an unusual wide A-frame, has been torn down.

Open at least as early as 1979.

This location, in the Almond Orchard Center mall, was run by Bill and Amy Pang.

Later (in 1988-1992) it became Lollipops, a 1950s themed club. For a time it was the Chico Cabaret.

There is also an entire line of mugs that were stamped "Trader Pang's" on the reverse. These mugs were sold through Hilo Hattie's or other retailers around 2002 and appeared at the time to be brand new, not NOS (New Old Stock).

Some have claimed a connection to this Chico location with these mugs, but it is more likely that they were a fleeting name used by a foreign manufacturer to reproduce old Orchids of Hawaii designs.

No photos or menus showing these mugs in use at the Chico location have turned up, which supports the idea they are reproduced imports.

Built in 1970, this small neighborhood bar and restaurant served Chinese food and tiki cocktails.

It had an A-frame entrance with a large Maori style tiki carving hanging below the peak. Inside, much of the decor was Chinese-themed, but they did have thatch-covered booth seating with a number of Orchids of Hawaii style hanging lanterns over each booth.

Closed in 2019. Demolished in 2023 and added to the Cass Park expansion.

Disney's Polynesian Village Resort is one of the high-end places to stay on property at Walt Disney World, just outside of Orlando. The resort is near the Magic Kingdom (Walt Disney World's analogue of Disneyland), and is situated on the Seven Seas Lagoon. It opened on October 1, 1971, the same day Walt Disney World opened. Between 1985 and 2015, it was called simply "Disney's Polynesian Resort."

The resort underwent a huge refresh in 2015, with the lobby features changing dramatically (tropical plants and waterfalls were replaced with a large logo tiki), and the addition of Trader Sam's Grog Grotto, a tiki bar patterned after Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar in Anaheim.

The hotel is a sprawling complex, with 11 "longhouse" buildings named for Polynesian islands such as Rarotonga, Tahiti, Hawaii and Rapa Nui. Each building is two or three stories tall, and houses dozens of guest rooms; in all, the resort has 847 rooms. The heart of the hotel is the Great Ceremonial House, a massive two-level building that holds the hotel's reception desk, several stores and cafes, and 'Ohana restaurant.

'Ohana restaurant, and its adjacent Tambu Lounge, are on the upper level of the Great Ceremonial House. The restaurant is an all-you-can-eat affair, with great spears of meats brought around to your table for you to choose from regularly, and a pu-pu platter brought to your table to kick things off. There are activities for children, and it can get pretty loud. Tropical drinks are available, including one served in a pineapple, and a Tropical Itch, which comes with a backscratcher (see menu below).

The hotel's pool area is small, but a looming volcano with built-in water slide gives it some oomph. The grounds are landscaped with tropical plants and many tikis, giving it a very lush feel. Many tikis are copies of those found at the Enchanted Tiki Room's pre-show lanai in Anaheim, including Pele, Ngendi, Rongo, and even Uti. (Orlando's Enchanted Tiki Room has a few of these tikis around, but they are not part of the pre-show). There is a dinner-show luau performed regularly at the resort, called the Spirit of Aloha Show.

The monorail to the Magic Kingdom stops at the Polynesian Resort.

Mai Tai, Excelsior's thatch-roofed Polynesian restaurant and bar, opened in 1978 and quickly became a hot spot around Lake Minnetonka.

The Mai Tai was founded by John Logan, former head chef at the Ambassador Hotel in St. Louis Park.

Fun was the main concern at Mai Tai, and the bartenders were able to mix about 30 different Polynesian drinks. The décor was decidedly tropical and included an outrigger canoe and a 200-foot waterfall. In a May 1984 interview, some of the restaurant's founders said they had 12 varieties of seafood flown in daily along with fresh orchids from Hawaii that were placed on the tables.

Live music was part of the appeal, as was the varied menu. Dinner specials one night included a dish of beef, shrimp and scallops, veal cordon bleu and chicken kiev. Fashion shows and classic boat shows also brought in customers. With the popularity came parking problems and in 1986 a trolley service was started so customers who had to park far away could easily get to the restaurant.

Throughout most of the 1980s, Mai Tai was the go-to spot for many people, including young adults who were fond of the varied drink menu. Hangovers weren't the only headaches caused by the excessive drinking, and some city officials and residents viewed the establishment as a nuisance.

The Mai Tai closed in 1989.

As of 2021 the property was in transition. It had been home to the Bayside Grill which closed in 2017 and then appeared to have been leased out as office space to Asystec and possibly others.

As of 2024, the space is now known as the Bayview Event Center & Charter Cruises.

Opened on Thursday, November 7th, 1957. The restaurant was simply called "Restaurant 400" before it became the "Luau 400".

An example from their advertising:

"Every night is carnival night at the Luau 400. An exotic, lavishly conceived Hawaiian 'movie set' of a restaurant. The Luau 400 has brought the informality, infectious gaiety and colorful cuisine of the Islands right to your doorstep. As you step through the front door a lovely Hawaiian girl in her native sarong places a gaily colored lei around your neck...you walk through the Pu Pu Bar with its many native masks, and see walls graced with the paintings from Hawaii. Seen throughout the Tangaroa Room and Polynesian Room are masks worn by the ancient Chiefs of the islands. To reach the different dining rooms you walk over the Leilani Bridge with its colorful waterfall and tropical gardens decorated in all the islands' splendor, then by the wishing well and past the tiny Maneki Neko, the guardian of this enchanting scene."

They boasted three kitchens: Polynesian, Cantonese, and American. Other draws included their lavish painted wall murals, bird cages with live birds, dining tables with real monkeypod wood tabletops, and a constantly looped color film of island festivals and dancing playing in the dining room to set the mood.

Apparently, "Luau 400" became "Ta Luau" @1967 for a brief time. Ta Luau produced a full set of Jackson China dinnerware with the same tiki mask logo as Luau 400.

This location has been home to several businesses over the intervening years. It was home to Jimmy's Downtown restaurant from @2002-2004. As of 2024, this space is home to Stonehenge 57 Apartments.