Post #513111 by DavidAfshar on Wed, Feb 24, 2010 9:35 AM

Hello,

Just thought I'd weigh in here. The rumors that Trader Vic's Dallas (where I live) was considering adopting the Island Bar and Grill format got me thinking about this topic a lot. On the one hand I agree with everyone who is saying that the IB&G concept would allow them to dine more frequently at TV's. In the little over two years the Dallas location was up and running me and my wife ate at TV's only a handful of times (always on special occasions), though we did frequent the bar more regularly...lot's more regularly. The IB&G concept would have allowed us to eat at a Trader Vic's location more often...But then again, the food wouldn't have been the same, so I'm not sure that it's really a fair comparison to make. The choice is not Traditional Trader Vic's food at a high price point vs. traditional Trader Vic's food at a lower pice point. It is trad. Vic's food vs. Chili's with a Polynesian bent. Not saying that this is a bad thing, just that it is not apples to apples.

I'm also sympathetic to the "something better than nothing" argument. A tiki-loving friend and I debated this a great deal in the two weeks that rumors swirled around TV Dallas before we found out the axe had dropped. Specifically, we debated about whether or not a IB&G would be better than if TV Dallas just closed altogether. Well, that decision was made for us, but it's still worth thinking about. I can no longer enjoy a Trader Vic's Mai Tai and a plate of spare ribs unless I make them myself. Certainly I don't mind making these and other TV items at home, but there was something cool about sitting at the bar and having a Mai Tai (the first of many) set in front of you in the perfect tiki atmosphere. I can no longer get that experience in the DFW Metroplex (or anywhere in the great state of Texas). Converting TV Dallas to an IB&G would have meant that I could finish typing this and go do just that. The flip side is that it really wouldn't be the same; the bar my Mai Tai was resting on would have been a much diminished version of what it once had been. Frankly, I don't know if it would have been worth it. As it is now, TV Dallas still exists in my memory as it once did, had they converted it into a IB&G, I can't help but think it would have cheapened my recollection of the place. Having experienced the real thing, I'm not so sure I'd want to frequent a "more laid back" version. Of course for many, the choice will never be Trader Vic's flagship or Trader Vic's Island Bar and Grill. Only large, urban areas are going to be able to support a true Trader Vic's (Dallas should have been able to but they blew it...but that's another story). Dallas, Texas is not Breckenridge, TX or [Insert the name of your favorite small town here]. For many tikiphiles TV IB&G would be about 1,000,000 times more tiki than they might otherwise have outside of their homes, just by virtue of where they live. It's easy to be purist when you live down the street from the Mai Kai (or TV Dallas, as I did), but when you live in a town where Applebee's is the height of culture...well, you might be more receptive.

As far as TV IB&G being a gateway drug...ummm, I don't see it. I'm sure there might be a few people whose interest might be piqued enough to dive into Poly-Pop culture, but I think that number is far, far fewer than those offering the "gateway drug" argument might think. Most people will not go to TV IB&G and then join Tiki Central and convert their study into a tiki bar, just not going to happen. For comparison, I love country music--real country music. As in Hank Williams and Johnny Cash; or Wayne Hancock for a current example. In my opnion, the country music being pumped out of Nashville today does not, in any way, live up to the tradition it claims to be a part of. It is a watered-down, for the masses version of country music. Sort of like the IB&G is a watered-down, for the masses version of Trader Vic's. Now, many people LOVE Kenny Chesney, and that is fine. They are free to love him to their heart's content, but to me he is not country music the way Dwight Yoakam is country music. There may be a few people who, after buying all of Kenny's Chesney's albums decided to get into more traditional country music, but I bet they are very few and very far between. The same will be true of this IB&G concept.

As far as TV IB&G cheapening the original Vic's, sadly, I think this is much closer to the mark. In the non-tikiphile world, TV, in my experience, already has a reputation as being a bit kitschy. (This is changing as the tiki renaissance takes hold, but it's an uphill battle.) The IB&G concept will only help cement that. Most people are not interested enough to discern the difference between the two styles of restaurants and will merely think of TV as a Islands-esque burger joint. I for one, think that using the Trader Vic's name was a HUGE mistake here. There are many, many examples of companies owning two differently priced establishments under different names and being successful. One that immediately comes to mind is P.F. Chang's. Chang's has kept it's semi-high end status in it's P.F. Chang's restaurants, and has entered, quite successfully, into the casual dining business with Pei Wei. Notice they did not call their lower-end restaurant P.F. Chang's Chinese Bistro, or some such. To me, this would have been the best of both worlds for Trader Vic's. This, to me is a far more apt comparison than is the Fender guitar comparison. The difference between the Mexican-made (lower-end) Fender strats and the American-made Fender Sttrats (Higher-end) is one of degree only. The American uses nicer hardware and electronics and is built from more quality woods. However, they are still essentially the same guitar (bolt on neck, three single-coil pickups, one volume, two tone controls, five way switch, tremolo, etc.) Original Trader Vic's and Trader Vic's Island bar and grill differ much more than by degree; they are two different concepts. Which is why I (and others) believe not using the Trader Vic's name would have been the appropriate choice.

Anyway, I have rambled on far too long (told you I'd been thinking about it a lot :) ). In closing, I'd just like to say how great it is that TC seems to be able to have these types of discussions without flame wars resulting.

David