The truth about Trader Vic's

Just an observation about TV and the state of the genre. I've read the numerous posts defending the new SF location against any and all detractors. It's too bad we have to defend TV, but as they are the last of the "big dogs" we have no choice. After recent visits to TV locations in Tokyo and Bangkok, it's interesting to see what they've become. If you look at their growth over the last quarter century, you'll see it has been mainly targeted in the Middle East where 5-star hotel operators cared more about drawing in customers with international brand names then with stellar food & beverage establishments. TV could be so much more but they've succumbed to the profit motive and sold the name to the highest bidder. Just look at the new SF location. It took over 100 investors just to finance the opening. This versus an active restaurant company who believes in their brand. With a name and history like Trader Vic's there should be one location in every town, but somewhere along the way the ideal got lost. Imagine the Trader Vic's name and bar menu, with food on the level of say Roy's with a South Pacific Officer's Club themed interior and you would have a great operation that could make it anywhere. Sorry for my ramblings but I wish there was someone else we could champion. I wonder who controls the rights to the Don the Beachcomber name....maybe it could be done right there!

Actually, the rights to Don the Beachcomber have been recently aquired and they are opening one in Hawaii I understand.

On 2005-06-04 18:24, Ryukyu wrote:
Imagine the Trader Vic's name and bar menu, with food on the level of say Roy's

then i'd only go for the drinks...

points well taken ~ did you know Roy's is owned by Outback Steakhouse?

the business of business is making money. and sometimes soulless corportations do that best. in turn,making happy stockholders.

i dont know the solution to the problem. for my part, i tend to try to try to avoid national chains (olive garden and it's ilk).

Ryoko,

Sit down grasshopper, and remember this: the truth is relative, just like your wife if you're from the South...

(someone once asked Buddah "I'm hot, how can I escape this terrible heat?" to which the Buddah replied "to escape this heat, jump into the furnace"; now go and do so)

Actually... You're absolutely correct about a few things, Ryukyu. TV's is, obvously, more interested in continuing a concept that got them to where they are than in coming up with anything new and different. Still, if Trader Vic's was to open a restaurant in every town in the US, they would be forced to lower their standards horribly. Let's face it. Most of the bars in America that have TIKI in their name these days are all about guys drinkin' beer an' wearin' jean shorts lookin' at girls who are drinkin' beer an' wearin' short skirts and wet T-shirts.

I think it's possible that the people who run the company understand the potential and the risks completely. I think they understand that most of the restaurants that have opened in the San Francisco area within the last five years don't even expect to be in business within the next five. The restaurant business has, unfortunately, come under the control of the Real Estate business.

We can't all get to a Trader Vic's any damn time we want to. We can, however, get to a McDonalds. What does that tell you?

TV is a fancy restaurant. The price of the food makes the drink prices seem okay! If you had TGIFriday's food prices, the drinks might seem crazy. But that's really what you have to charge. Most tiki drinks are doubles at least and to make money, you end up charging double.

There is a chain out there Bahama Breeze that is as close as you might hope to get. When I talked to the owner of Ruby Tuesday about doing a tiki bar, that's what he thought of.

On 2005-06-05 08:14, Swanky wrote:
There is a chain out there Bahama Breeze

have you been there yet? the one south of seattle is always jammed packed, with huge waits... is it worth it?

last time i acquiesced to waiting an hour for food was Rain Forest Cafe.. gods, what an aunt won't do for a cute 4 yr old nephew..

would hate to recreate that experience.

While I agree generally (although I don't mind TV selling the use of its name to franchisees who will front the capital and assume the financial risk), I won't let the perfect stand in the way of the tiki.

I like the new branches in SF and Emmeryville and I can not wait for the new one opening in Las Vegas.

Whew, with a title like that for a thread I started to hyperventilate. I'm having my reception at TV's in Emeryville so I hesitated to open this in case it was some kind of expose on the hidden evils of TV. Panic over, thank god!

"The restaurant business has, unfortunately, come under the control of the Real Estate business" - well said, although incredibly sad and true. I understand the desire to have something like TV's in every town but I too worry that it would become watered down, over marketed and turned into a shadow of its former glory. It's bad enough when people tear down history (see what's happenning to CBGB's) - it's worse when people ruin the history through mass marketization (forgive me, I know it's not a word).

Sometimes quality means not having one in every town :wink: Ryukyu, where are you located?

On 2005-06-05 12:57, dogbytes wrote:

Bahama Breeze...
have you been there yet? the one south of seattle is always jammed packed, with huge waits... is it worth it?

I was there once. It was odd because you can buy tiki mugs & Hawaiian shirts in the gift area, yet it's supposed to be Bahamas. I will say this: their key lime pie rocks! (dude!) And the mohito was tasty (but it ain't no mai tai)

-Z

Say what you will about TV, but I would welcome their return to New York City with open arms and wallet.

aloha,

On 2005-06-08 13:45, Urban Tiki wrote:
Say what you will about TV, but I would welcome their return to New York City with open arms and wallet.

[ Edited by: filslash 2008-09-13 12:33 ]

The problem with the TV's is that the fee for the franchise is so far out there that it can only survive in a large area such as Las Vegas. The reason why it took 100 investors to open the SFO was because the numbers do not make sense. The TV company wants too much for the rights to the name and the percentage of the gross was very high each year. I personally think the TV in Beverly Hills has gone so far down hill that I have not been there for over a year. Terrible service and food to match. The only good thing was the MaiTai's - As far as Don the Beachcomber, the name is owned and is disputed between his last wife and some crazy guy in SFO. I think the one in Hawaii is done by the Wife and she may have the rights to just Hawaii. It will be a while before any will be seen on the Mainland. From what I remember there was a dispute between the wife and the crazy guy. A good friend of mine tried in vain a few years back to get the rights or permission to open a Don but it was a crazy road and ended with nothing.

Vic's SF is not a franchise location, it's owned by the company directly, as are Emeryville and Palo Alto. It took over 100 investors to pay for it because A) TVs would rather not fork out their own money but more importantly B) The location needed a massive seismic retrofit before reopening, and the costs spiraled into the millions. But they insisted that the location was perfect to recapture the glory of Stars and be a power broker location that close to City Hall, so there was no other choice.

On 2005-06-10 07:38, Pacific Andy wrote:
The problem with the TV's is that the fee for the franchise is so far out there that it can only survive in a large area such as Las Vegas. The reason why it took 100 investors to open the SFO was because the numbers do not make sense.

Maybe this is a mixed blessing for tiki fans.
While on one hand, TV is setting a very high ransom for licensing its likeness, on the other hand they appear to be greedily ready to sell their likeness.

Therefore, maybe there will be more opening u p in the future, if the SF and Emeryville have proved to be worthwhile investments.

Maybe it will be the next "Planet Hollywood" (well, lets hope not).

Sacred ground, my friend...sacred ground. You don't by chance work for Walgreen's do you? :)

On 2005-06-04 18:24, Ryukyu wrote:
After recent visits to TV locations in Tokyo and Bangkok, it's interesting to see what they've become.

And what have they become? I visited Vic's in Bangkok last year and it was one of the best dinners I ever had !! Although their Mai Tai differed from the traditional, their food menu made up for it - delectable Phuket lobster as well as other dishes that I've never seen on a Vic's menu before. Most of all, incredible decor - I can't think of a single Roy's that pays that much attention to decor and to creating the "tropical enviroment" we so crave - that's why we all continue to support TVs !!
Sure their menu isn't very 2005 - that's fine by me - we have alot of cutting edge restaurants that are - I still prefer (as generations did before me) going to Vic's for a Mai Tai, sliced Pork and Crab Rangoon than going to any cutting edge stackable food over-priced culinary experience !! Hell, where else could we go and still have delicious 1950's style Bongo Bongo soup. Thanks God Vics is still around and hasn't fallen into the scrap heap of culinary history or succumbed to the trends de jour...
FYI for anyone that remembers the tirade of criticism agains TV's SF a year or so ago, their food, drinks, service (and decor) have improved greatly. My wife and I hit up SF or Emeryville at least every other week and hopefully will continue to do so for a long, long time.
Long live the Trader's !!!

to add my 2cents, I love Trader Vic's. Its so classy Tiki. And the facade of BH has to be the coolest restaurant entrance of all time. Only wish is it was a little less $$$

Trader Vic was from outer space!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4408444139&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:US:1

SPACE ALIENS SALT AND PEPPER SHAKERS...
SPACE ALIENS SALT AND PEPPER SHAKERS. ON THE BACK OF THEM INBEDDED IS THE WORDS TRADER VIC. THEY LOOK LIKE THEY JUST LANDED HERE ON EARTH. THEY STAND 4 1/2 INCHES HIGH. HAPPY BIDDING.

[i]On 2005-06-08 11:58, kahluagal wrote:

Sometimes quality means not having one in every town

Your purist argument is well taken (particularly as TV has a very strong nautical inclination, at the expense of tiki), but I, for one, would not be adverse to having a TV in every town and 2 in the LA area, one in OC and another in San Diego.

Bring on the investors!

[ Edited by: christiki295 2005-09-29 20:28 ]

*SPACE ALIENS SALT AND PEPPER SHAKERS...
*

Oh no, not again. Won't be long before the anal probing starts. Sure, ya get a night on the spaceship, the view's great and all, but the "visitors" never call back. I'm not falling for their line again. Nuh uh. Fool me eight times. Shame on you. Fool me nine times?

midnite....

ps The "truth" about Trader Vic's? (looks around) Crab Rangoon is peop...

ps The "truth" about Trader Vic's? (looks around) Crab Rangoon is peop...

I f#@king love you.

I've only been to one TV and it was in London this past March. My wife and I came prepared and I had read up on the place and it's founder before I stepped in the door. I was not disappointed in the least. It was a different kind of Tiki experience from the current laid back Tiki style that most people go for, but for anyone who wants to experience a true retro Tiki style, you have to try it. The drinks we had at the London TV were superb and the meals we had were delicious. I can only recommend that you dress appropriately (coat and tie) and bring lots of money!