Don the Beachcomber - The Locations (Updated 01-09-20) - Collecting Tiki

D Dustycajun Tiki Socialite Santa Barbara, CA Joined: Nov 16, 2007 Posts: 5295	D Dustycajun Posted posted on Mon, Jan 6, 2020 11:46 AM Arriano, Good catch on the Don's Teki, I don't think I have seen that before either. Will have to look at some of my old menus. OK, here is a little bit of history I did not know. It turns out that Sunny Sund sold the Don the Beachcomber restaurants in Hollywood and Palm springs as well the Don the Beachcomber trademark to a group headed by Barron Hilton in 1961. Sund held onto the Chicago restaurant, which was the first one she opened without Don. Here are some articles discussing the sale. What is interesting about this is that the Hilton hotel chain was the home of numerous Trader Vic’s restaurants, including Beverly Hills, Puerto Rico, Havana, London, Dallas, Houston, New York, Chicago, Washington DC to name a few. The article says that the new owners were looking to expand the Don the Beachcomber operations in the US. Getty bought the Don the Beachcomber corporation in 1968, so that means the Hilton-based operators opened the new restaurants from 1961 to 1968 which included Las Vegas at the Sahara (1962) and St. Paul, Minnesota at the Hilton Hotel (1966), which now makes sense! The second article also mentions that Duke Kahanamoku bought the Don's in Honolulu around the same time. Here is Donn handing over the keys to Duke. DC

Arriano,

Good catch on the Don's Teki, I don't think I have seen that before either. Will have to look at some of my old menus.

OK, here is a little bit of history I did not know. It turns out that Sunny Sund sold the Don the Beachcomber restaurants in Hollywood and Palm springs as well the Don the Beachcomber trademark to a group headed by Barron Hilton in 1961. Sund held onto the Chicago restaurant, which was the first one she opened without Don. Here are some articles discussing the sale.

What is interesting about this is that the Hilton hotel chain was the home of numerous Trader Vic’s restaurants, including Beverly Hills, Puerto Rico, Havana, London, Dallas, Houston, New York, Chicago, Washington DC to name a few. The article says that the new owners were looking to expand the Don the Beachcomber operations in the US. Getty bought the Don the Beachcomber corporation in 1968, so that means the Hilton-based operators opened the new restaurants from 1961 to 1968 which included Las Vegas at the Sahara (1962) and St. Paul, Minnesota at the Hilton Hotel (1966), which now makes sense!

The second article also mentions that Duke Kahanamoku bought the Don's in Honolulu around the same time. Here is Donn handing over the keys to Duke.

Post #799818 by Dustycajun on Mon, Jan 6, 2020 11:46 AM