Hawaii Kai, New York, NY (restaurant) - Locating Tiki

S senioraqua Member Tampa, FL Joined: Jul 11, 2004 Posts: 408	S senioraqua Posted posted on Fri, Mar 4, 2011 6:38 AM THEN & NOW THE HAWAII KAI By Anthony Connors Sunday, January 24th 1999, 2:05AM Movie memorabilia. Rock guitars. Poi? The premise behind theme restaurants can be just about anything. Think Planet Hollywood and Hard Rock Cafe.However, long before anyone had ever heard of Sylvester Stallone or Jimi Hendrix, folks were lining up at Broadway's Polynesian paradise The Hawaii Kai. Located at 1638 Broadway, in the Winter Garden Theater building, the Hawaii Kai, which was billed as "the world's greatest Polynesian restaurant," was a nonstop luau. Undulating waitresses in sarongs served roast pig, poi and other island delicacies in an atmosphere of caged exotic birds, tropical flowers, murals and more. Hula girls instructed diners on the proper techniques of that native dance, and staffers delighted and informed with native songs and island lore. Conga lines formed on the dining-room floor as the music blared and guests sang along.Never mind the snow outside, inside the weather was always tropical. The Big Kahuna of the Hawaii Kai was a guy named Joe Kipness, a pudgy-faced fellow who was about as far from Polynesian as one could get.Born in Russia in 1911, his family came to the United States when Joe was a little boy. He held a number of jobs from amateur boxer to garment manufacturer and Broadway producer before going into the restaurant biz in 1961. His first place, the Lanai Restaurant, folded after several months. The experience, though, served him well a few months later when he opened the Hawaii Kai. A precursor of today's theme restaurants, the Hawaii Kai had a souvenir shop where diners could purchase mementos of their visit. They also served a number of Polynesian novelty drinks. The most elaborate one was a volcano a rum punch concoction in a bowl that had a ceramic cone in which sterno was placed and then ignited. This one was a hot seller! In 1972, Kipness said aloha to the Hawaii Kai, selling it to a pair of businessmen. It remained open for another 15 years before closing in 1988. Today, the site is home to Backstage Memories, a theater gift shop. I know the facts are kind of sketchy, but did he say they put sterno in the middle of a scorpion bowl? Sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen.

THEN & NOW THE HAWAII KAI

By Anthony Connors

Sunday, January 24th 1999, 2:05AM

Movie memorabilia. Rock guitars. Poi? The premise behind theme restaurants can be just about anything. Think Planet Hollywood and Hard Rock Cafe.However, long before anyone had ever heard of Sylvester Stallone or Jimi Hendrix, folks were lining up at Broadway's Polynesian paradise The Hawaii Kai.

Located at 1638 Broadway, in the Winter Garden Theater building, the Hawaii Kai, which was billed as "the world's greatest Polynesian restaurant," was a nonstop luau. Undulating waitresses in sarongs served roast pig, poi and other island delicacies in an atmosphere of caged exotic birds, tropical flowers, murals and more. Hula girls instructed diners on the proper techniques of that native dance, and staffers delighted and informed with native songs and island lore. Conga lines formed on the dining-room floor as the music blared and guests sang along.Never mind the snow outside, inside the weather was always tropical.

The Big Kahuna of the Hawaii Kai was a guy named Joe Kipness, a pudgy-faced fellow who was about as far from Polynesian as one could get.Born in Russia in 1911, his family came to the United States when Joe was a little boy. He held a number of jobs from amateur boxer to garment manufacturer and Broadway producer before going into the restaurant biz in 1961. His first place, the Lanai Restaurant, folded after several months. The experience, though, served him well a few months later when he opened the Hawaii Kai.

A precursor of today's theme restaurants, the Hawaii Kai had a souvenir shop where diners could purchase mementos of their visit. They also served a number of Polynesian novelty drinks. The most elaborate one was a volcano a rum punch concoction in a bowl that had a ceramic cone in which sterno was placed and then ignited. This one was a hot seller!

In 1972, Kipness said aloha to the Hawaii Kai, selling it to a pair of businessmen. It remained open for another 15 years before closing in 1988. Today, the site is home to Backstage Memories, a theater gift shop.

I know the facts are kind of sketchy, but did he say they put sterno in the middle of a scorpion bowl? Sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen.

Post #578806 by senioraqua on Fri, Mar 4, 2011 6:38 AM

In 1972, Kipness said aloha to the Hawaii Kai, selling it to a pair of businessmen. It remained open for another 15 years before closing in 1988. Today, the site is home to Backstage Memories, a theater gift shop.