Post #288338 by bigbrotiki on Mon, Feb 26, 2007 5:29 PM

In regards to Trader Vic's headquarters uncommitted reaction, I can only guess that:

A.) They do not officially want to go up against Hilton or shareholders to keep a line open for future branches in other locations
B.) The sense that I am getting within the company is that there are differing opinions about the value of "old" locations, and that the winning opinion is that the "dated" concept only appeals to a minority, and that in the restaurant industry nowadays everything older than 10 years is considered outdated.
It seems that these forces are more into creating NEW locations, which means more cash flow and active business, which proves they are a viable entity within the industry. AND new locations means riddance of old, restricting contracts. The goal is rejuvenation, not preservation.

It cannot be an accident that, though ironically the Book of Tiki had a decisive influence on the the Tiki revival as a whole, and, with a big chapter devoted to the chain, also the revival of Trader Vic's (see predominantly closures in the 90s, but then predominantly new openings since the 2000), NONE of the new branches have succeeded to recapture the magic represented within its pages.

Or in other words: When looking at the BOT, people see the images and LIKE Tiki style (and Trader Vic's) BECAUSE of these images, and want to go to places LIKE those in the book. So why, when coasting on that desire, does T.V. provide "modernized" versions of that, which go only half way? Because the thinking of restaurant industry business people functions in different ways than that of the people who seek Tiki experiences, unfortunately.

This is not a value judgement, just an observation brought into this for consideration.

Which means it is useless do get frustrated with Trader Vic's non-commital responses, and to go for what WE know and like: Classic American Polynesian style. And, my senses tell me, the chances for success are NOT stacked in the developer's favor.