Post #227272 by Tiki Fink on Tue, Apr 18, 2006 9:42 AM

I was wondering if anyone from Denver wants to chime in on the impending opening of Hula's on Broadway. I don't want to be too prematurely skeptical, but the name of the joint raises some questions in my mind. For example, why would you name a place Hula's out on the myriad endless possibilities of cool names for a Tiki / Poly Pop establishment.Single word possessive names for bars and restaurants are out like a friggin' leg warmer. Something about this is just a little too close to Chili's for comfort. Kind of corporate not unlike TGI Friday's or Shennagin's for crissakes. I really hope that this concept doesn't try to dumb down Tiki in any way. The Idea of selling Tiki to the lowest common denominator is a troubling proposition that could very well start with a clueless staff and end in banality.

To their credit, the Hula's web site does have some nice musical tidbits that show that someone did their homework, and the interior shots of the Monterey location are not half bad. The lighting scheme seems awfully bright for my tastes but that could be a concession made for the sake of photography.

I guess only time will tell with this one, however, if my suspicions are correct, there will be at least a Tiki bar where Dave Flomberg feels comfortable in his 80's aloha shirt, listening to Jimmy Buffet with a teriyaki cheese burger in paradise.

Tiki Fink prefers the more authentic approach, so see ya at the new Tiki Boyd's or whatever they decide to call it.