Post #85654 by ikitnrev on Sun, Apr 11, 2004 6:30 AM

Last night (April 10, 2004), I had my last mai-tai at the Honolulu Restaurant. After nearly 26 years of being open, David and Anna Chan were finally closing the best tiki place in the DC area.

I drove up at about 8:15 pm, expecting to see a line of people waiting to get inside. But there was no line, only a sign on the door stating that the Honolulu was closing at 8:00 on their final day.

I stepped inside anyway, was told 'We are closed', but was then invited to join one of the tables by some friends.

I had been expecting a crowded mob scene, but my friends who were there all day said that the final day was quite relaxed, especially when compared to the crowds that had been there the previous weeks. I had feared that there might be a last day of pillaging of the decor, but things seemed to be OK overall. Someone had earlier in the day tried to walk off with a volcano bowl, but were caught doing so.

When I walked in, the traffic light on the bar was yellow, indicating last call. I was able to order one last mai-tai. I will usually have at least 2 or 3 on any visit, but I was content with just one, as long as I was able to experience the closing moments of the Honolulu.

My last Honolulu mai-tai was the first one served to me with two cherries on the cocktail sword, rather than a pineapple chunk and a cherry - evidently they had run out of pineapple chunks earlier.

Some people at the table had ordered a Suffering Bastard for their last drink, but were told there was no more 151 rum left either. It reminded me of my visit to the Columbus's Kahiki Restaurant on their final day, when they had also run out of mai-tai ingredients. (Strange, that I have now experienced the closing of two tiki places)

The crowd was quite nice. Off sitting in one corner were two elderly gray-haired ladies with their heads leaning towards each other, just sharing a quiet conversation.

It was a welcome contrast from the crowded tables of loud twenty-somethings that one would often see there in the preceding months.

I turned around at one point, and noticed that the Honolulu was a bit emptier, and that the traffic light was now red.

I enjoyed my last mai-tai...

The man who took the above picture had been coming to the Honolulu for over 25 years. Several of the other long-time locals continued to hang around, and I felt like a bit of a newcomer, since I had only been a customer for perhaps 5 or 6 years. Some of the locals had been stopping by at the place even before the Honolulu existed, when it was a deli instead of a wonderful tiki establishment.

Pictures were taken of the last customers who had their meals delivered (their waiter behind them).....

Tables were being cleared, and I took pictures of them too, feeling sad, knowing that after 25 years, never again would people be served at that location again.

Impromptu photo sessions were happening ...

Anna, with a long-time local customer

Two of the waiters ...

The kitchen cooks came out. They had been working at the Honolulu for nearly 26 years. One long-time customer told them that they had probably cooked more meals for him in his life than his own mother.

Some tears were shed, but overall it was a very nice moment.

On the very next day, there was going to be a small, private family wedding performed at the Honolulu. Several family members were waiting to add some wedding decorations to the tiki decor....

Since it was now mostly family members still inside, I decided it was a good time to walk away. But first, I had to take some final pictures of David, standing next to his red-lit traffic light (these are perhaps my favorite pictures taken inside the Honolulu)

I couldn't help but to linger on for a few more minutes outside.

A few people walked around from the back parking lot, and you could see they were saddened to see that they had mistimed their final visit.

I was very glad that the Honolulu lasted at least one week longer than the 7-11 which stood immediately next door. Perhaps there is hope for this country when a neighborhood tiki restaurant can outlast a corporate store. Somehow, it also seems appropriate that the Honolulu had its final day of business on the birthday of Martin Denny. The official closing time of 10:00 EST (for those inside), believe it or not, coincided with the raising of the tiki mugs by Gecko and others to honor Denny’s birthday. So even though many of you may have never personally experienced the Honolulu, you were still there in spirit.

After one of my final meals at the Honolulu, I opened my fortune cookie, and received perhaps the most appropriate fortune I have ever received in my life. It said, simply ...

Thanks for allowing me to share these thoughts and images with you.

Vern

[ Edited by: ikitnrev 2007-09-13 21:14 ]

[ Edited by: ikitnrev 2007-12-26 20:50 ]