Tiki Bob's, San Francisco, CA (restaurant) - Locating Tiki

B bamalamalu Tiki Socialite Joined: Mar 20, 2006 Posts: 1287	B bamalamalu Posted posted on Tue, Dec 17, 2019 1:43 PM He's back! I haven't seen any actual articles that can be linked yet, so this is just copied from Facebook for posterity. Martin Cate December 14 at 2:35 PM BIG NEWS For over 60 years, a San Francisco landmark has maintained his quiet vigil over our fair City by the Bay. Located at the corner of Post and Taylor Streets, the silent column with the pleasant smile is overlooked by most passersby. But he has a story to tell. His name…is Tiki Bob. In 1955, Bob Bryant, a former manager of the nearby Trader Vic’s restaurant went out on his own, christening himself and his restaurant Tiki Bob. To complete the image, he needed a signature design that would become his bar’s logo and mascot. Enter Alec Yuill-Thornton, a San Francisco architect, illustrator, and jeweler who had created the whimsical illustrations for Trader Vic’s book, "Kitchen Kibitzer," a few years earlier. Alec created an image that was immediately iconic and found its way to a tiki mug that historians suggest may have been the very first. Tiki Bob adorned menus, matchbooks, and more, and quite literally held up the restaurant when his visage was sculpted into a supporting column out front. Tiki Bob’s closed in 1983, yet Bob remained, bearing his load with a smile and without complaint. Each successive business painted him to suit their needs- once even in a tuxedo. Enthusiasts around the world took comfort knowing at least he was still there but yearned to one day see him restored to his former glory. “I am a 3rd generation San Francisco Bay Area native and for me - history matters,” says local preservationist Heather David. “The whimsical Tiki Bob mascot was so wildly popular that the image was picked up (and used) by other establishments across the country. For years, Bob has been hiding in plain sight, while his image sells original artwork, t-shirts, socks, etc. all over the world. Why would we not celebrate such an iconic, lasting, and happy image - something that originated here, in San Francisco?” In August of 2019, a Bob-loving trio decided to make it right. Led by Heather M. David, muralist Donald Harvey, and San Francisco bar owner and author Martin Cate, the trio approached the current owners of the business Abed Rashdan and Hinda Alfayez about repainting Bob, and they graciously agreed to let Bob be restored to his original colors. Layers of paint were removed to find the original brown and color match it. Donald’s expertise in San Francisco murals was invaluable in restoring Bob to his former glory. And so, on December 14th, 2019, at long last, Bob is back. And his smile is perhaps just a bit bigger today. So when you next find yourself in San Francisco, say hi to Bob. He always has a smile for new friends. And while you’re there, please stop into Honey Honey Café, try one of their great crepes, and let Abed and Hinda know how much you appreciate their support of San Francisco history and the joy that Bob brings to people around the world. Honey Honey Café and Crepery (and Tiki Bob) 599 Post St. San Francisco, CA 94102 http://www.honeyhoneycafeandcrepery.com/ #bobisback Alec Yuill-Thornton Born in Manila, PI on April 29, 1917, in 1933 Alec Yuill-Thornton moved to San Diego, CA to attend the Army & Navy Academy. He then studied architecture at San Mateo Junior College and UC Berkeley. Following a few years in Boulder City, NV, he returned to San Francisco and worked as an architect for Gardner Dailey and others. He provided the illustrations for Trader Vic’s Kitchen Kibitzer in 1952 and designed the iconic Tiki Bob in 1955. In the 1960s he took up etching, which he studied at the San Francisco Art Institute, as well as metalsmithing, calligraphy, and jewelry making. His watercolors include scenes of Yosemite, the Mother Lode country, and San Francisco. He died in San Francisco on Nov. 14, 1986. Donald Harvey Donald Harvey is an artist who has worked in San Francisco as a decorative painter and muralist for over thirty-five years. He has done work for San Francisco company Evans & Brown at the Monaco Hotel as well as hotels in Las Vegas, Japan, Singapore, Disneyworld, and many more. He currently works for Willem Racke studio working on Decorator Showcase houses and private residences in Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco. Most recently, he restored the famed Laughing Gorilla mural on 19th Street in the Castro District. He is a lifelong Tiki enthusiast and collector, whose very first mug was a Tiki Bob from a thrift store in the 1980s. Heather M. David Heather M. David is a San Francisco Bay Area-based cultural historian and freelance writer. She is the author of the books "Mid-Century by the Bay," "Motel California," and numerous articles on American popular culture and historic preservation. She is an advocate for the preservation of mid-century architecture, art, and signage - with a special interest in the California roadside. Martin Cate Martin Cate is a James Beard Award-winning author and the owner of Smuggler’s Cove and Whitechapel in San Francisco. He has been enchanted by Bob for decades.

He's back!

I haven't seen any actual articles that can be linked yet, so this is just copied from Facebook for posterity.

Martin Cate
December 14 at 2:35 PM
BIG NEWS

For over 60 years, a San Francisco landmark has maintained his quiet vigil over our fair City by the Bay. Located at the corner of Post and Taylor Streets, the silent column with the pleasant smile is overlooked by most passersby. But he has a story to tell. His name…is Tiki Bob.

In 1955, Bob Bryant, a former manager of the nearby Trader Vic’s restaurant went out on his own, christening himself and his restaurant Tiki Bob. To complete the image, he needed a signature design that would become his bar’s logo and mascot. Enter Alec Yuill-Thornton, a San Francisco architect, illustrator, and jeweler who had created the whimsical illustrations for Trader Vic’s book, "Kitchen Kibitzer," a few years earlier. Alec created an image that was immediately iconic and found its way to a tiki mug that historians suggest may have been the very first. Tiki Bob adorned menus, matchbooks, and more, and quite literally held up the restaurant when his visage was sculpted into a supporting column out front.

Tiki Bob’s closed in 1983, yet Bob remained, bearing his load with a smile and without complaint. Each successive business painted him to suit their needs- once even in a tuxedo. Enthusiasts around the world took comfort knowing at least he was still there but yearned to one day see him restored to his former glory. “I am a 3rd generation San Francisco Bay Area native and for me - history matters,” says local preservationist Heather David. “The whimsical Tiki Bob mascot was so wildly popular that the image was picked up (and used) by other establishments across the country. For years, Bob has been hiding in plain sight, while his image sells original artwork, t-shirts, socks, etc. all over the world. Why would we not celebrate such an iconic, lasting, and happy image - something that originated here, in San Francisco?”

In August of 2019, a Bob-loving trio decided to make it right. Led by Heather M. David, muralist Donald Harvey, and San Francisco bar owner and author Martin Cate, the trio approached the current owners of the business Abed Rashdan and Hinda Alfayez about repainting Bob, and they graciously agreed to let Bob be restored to his original colors. Layers of paint were removed to find the original brown and color match it. Donald’s expertise in San Francisco murals was invaluable in restoring Bob to his former glory. And so, on December 14th, 2019, at long last, Bob is back. And his smile is perhaps just a bit bigger today.

So when you next find yourself in San Francisco, say hi to Bob. He always has a smile for new friends. And while you’re there, please stop into Honey Honey Café, try one of their great crepes, and let Abed and Hinda know how much you appreciate their support of San Francisco history and the joy that Bob brings to people around the world.

Honey Honey Café and Crepery (and Tiki Bob)
599 Post St.
San Francisco, CA 94102
http://www.honeyhoneycafeandcrepery.com/

#bobisback

Alec Yuill-Thornton
Born in Manila, PI on April 29, 1917, in 1933 Alec Yuill-Thornton moved to San Diego, CA to attend the Army & Navy Academy. He then studied architecture at San Mateo Junior College and UC Berkeley. Following a few years in Boulder City, NV, he returned to San Francisco and worked as an architect for Gardner Dailey and others. He provided the illustrations for Trader Vic’s Kitchen Kibitzer in 1952 and designed the iconic Tiki Bob in 1955. In the 1960s he took up etching, which he studied at the San Francisco Art Institute, as well as metalsmithing, calligraphy, and jewelry making. His watercolors include scenes of Yosemite, the Mother Lode country, and San Francisco. He died in San Francisco on Nov. 14, 1986.

Donald Harvey
Donald Harvey is an artist who has worked in San Francisco as a decorative painter and muralist for over thirty-five years. He has done work for San Francisco company Evans & Brown at the Monaco Hotel as well as hotels in Las Vegas, Japan, Singapore, Disneyworld, and many more. He currently works for Willem Racke studio working on Decorator Showcase houses and private residences in Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco. Most recently, he restored the famed Laughing Gorilla mural on 19th Street in the Castro District. He is a lifelong Tiki enthusiast and collector, whose very first mug was a Tiki Bob from a thrift store in the 1980s.

Heather M. David
Heather M. David is a San Francisco Bay Area-based cultural historian and freelance writer. She is the author of the books "Mid-Century by the Bay," "Motel California," and numerous articles on American popular culture and historic preservation. She is an advocate for the preservation of mid-century architecture, art, and signage - with a special interest in the California roadside.

Martin Cate
Martin Cate is a James Beard Award-winning author and the owner of Smuggler’s Cove and Whitechapel in San Francisco. He has been enchanted by Bob for decades.

Post #799367 by bamalamalu on Tue, Dec 17, 2019 1:43 PM