Post #697020 by porco on Tue, Oct 22, 2013 8:49 AM

Some interesting perspective from one of the patrons at our newly opened bar:

"The drinks were bland in color and bland in taste . I go to Hawaii every year and not one of the drinks we tried were even close, even the Mai Tai."

"You should see my house, you'd think you were in Hawaii. I was hoping for some really cool decor, but was disappointed. I didn't see any authentic tikis or anything old Hawaiian."

Now just to give some perspective, every one of our classic cocktails are made at (or as close as possible with available ingredients) to the Bum's specs. All juices are squeezed daily, all syrups, falernum, orgeat, etc... are house made. Yes, we do not have many carved tikis, but there are a few scattered about. I get that the outrigger, lamps, fixtures, and abundant bamboo from the Kon Tiki, chairs from the Mai Kai & Chin Tiki, might not scream "classic Hawaii", but to say it's not cool? Come on!

We're new, have a long way to go in terms of establishing ourselves, and are by no means perfect. Mind you, this is the first and only "negative" criticism we've received or heard of in our short two weeks of being open. It's just interesting that it comes from someone that considers themselves a "tiki" enthusiast,

That is not to say they're right or wrong in what they believe or enjoy as "tiki". We want everyone to be happy, but know that isn't going to be possible in every case. All we can do is put out a quality product, try to provide a fun, authentic, and original atmosphere, and hope that the public at large agrees with what we're doing.

So far, so good.