Post #595824 by Dustycajun on Fri, Jul 1, 2011 5:55 PM

Uncle Trav,

I have a matchbox from the Kona Tiki with the same graphics as the ashtray.

I have also seen this one circa the I Love New York era.

I recently found a magazine ad from the Kona Tiki that provides a snap shot of the interior. You can see a glimpse of an OA Tiki in the back left of the photo.

The ad also contains an interesting clue to the history of the Kona Tiki - it was owned by Joe Kipness. Joe who you might ask. Well Joe Kipness was a partner with Monte Proser who opened the Lanai restaurant and then started the famous Hawaii Kai in New York.

Kipness also owned the popular Joes Pier 52 Restaurant that was located across the street from the Kona Tiki restaurant as show in this ad. They were often advertised together.

Also looks like he may have been in business with his brother Ted, and the band was the Kona Tiki Islanders.

Another ad, this one with the Fabulous Fingers of Irving Fields.

This article posted by Senioraqua gives some info on Kipness and a bit of a timeline.

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.

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.

So, Kipness was involved with the Lanai, Hawaii Kai and the Kona Tiki. I am thinking he started the Kona Tiki after he sold his interest in the Hawaii Kai. One of the few places that lasted through the Tiki-Devolution of 80's.

DC