Trader Vic's Bev Hills closing THIS TUESDAY???!!! . . .

Hey friends.

I wanted to share some distressing / interesting news with e TC Ohana,

I just finished up my bartending shift at Saints and Sinners, and one of my customers happened to be a bartender over at Trader Vics Beverly Hills.
This person (who asked to not be named) told me that the staff has a 'meeting' tomorrow @ 10am, but as of now, the last day on the schedule is this Tuesday May 1st!!!!!

This person said they met a few months back with the current owner (Vic's grandson I believe) and he was all for the tiki community support and fighting to keep this landmark open. Unfortunatley, the Hilton corporation owns the land, and they have the last say. The impression I got (especially after talking to this employee) was that they always planned to close it down, and would rather do it without a big awareness raising send-off.

This great bartender appreciated the history of the bar, and the loyalty and support of the Tiki Central folks, and was nice enough to give me their number to let me know the latest scoop after the meeting tomorrow.

I will call them in the afternoon, and as soon as I know the latest, I will post it here.

I don't want to start a panic or a riot, and certainly not a slew of angry phone calls to Trader Vics.

If this is the state of affairs though, I am SO THANKFUL this customer came in today and gave me this info, and I wanted to share it all with you A.S.A.P.

More info tomorrow!

[ Edited by: atomikitty 2007-04-30 01:12 ]

speechless....... Thanks for the info, we will await further news. This is horrible....

Well, I think we all knew this was going to happen eventually. At least the tiki community became visible as a faction that was supportive of the historic TV location. Next question....will Hilton be setting up a TV inside the hotel? Are they going to be auctioning off interior items from the bar...man that would be a mob scene!!!

Damn them! Damn them all to Hell!

Moved to general tiki forum....

RED ALERT

I say to descend on it en masse and strip it of everything and then burn it down.

THEN folks would think twice before closing their tiki bars.

OMFing god. uh i feel like I just got sucker punched in the face.
Anybody up for TV's tonight Mon. april 30th?

Jeff(bigtikidude)

[ Edited by: bigtikidude 2007-04-30 09:31 ]

Well, this sucks, but like Vamp said, we all knew it was headed this way. Maybe not this soon, but Big corporate doesnt want a fight. they already spent millions I'm sure in studies, surveys, and architectual designs for their "New" multi million dollar lofts. AtomKitty, thank you sooo much for posting this ALERT, and also your "client" for giving a heads up! My fingers are crossed for the TV staff that they will have a job at least throughout the summer, so incase they are displaced, they will have time to find a new home...I'm not going to jump to conclusions, but I am going to Trader Vics tonight, "just in case" to spend time in one of the last historical tiki joints on planet earth! As for them selling off the stuff, I Believe Trader Vics corporate will step in and take what they can, to furnish other Trader Vics.

I have to say this "meeting" they are having Tuesday is a bit distressing to me, and obviously the worker who dropped the dime... I've seen it done...Meeting on Tuesday to recieve notice of closure, pick up final paycheck and severance pay, not to open on Tuesday to the public forever more...That is worse case scenario of course, but I've gone through that before with no warning. If someone can call SOK and Ojaitimo(I dont have their contacts) and see if They'd like to join me tonight at TV, I'll be there about 4pm-5ish...BTD, I'll call you and see if you are going to stop by. Everyone, of course is encouraged to attend if you can. Not to make a spectacle of things, & NOT to jump to conclusions about the Employee meet on Tuesday, but a "get together" of sorts for those on TC and abroad, who are concerned.

Without jumping to conclusions, let me just say, WAAAAAAAAA!!!! :cry:

I had plans to visit this place in about a month for the first time! Not fair! Not fair!! So sad...

This comment was just posted on Humu Kon Tiki:

Trader Vics is closed. Last night was the end.

I don't know who the poster was, but... that don't sound too good.

Well, I'm heading over to TV's this evening for a final drink there...if they are infact still open.

Just spoke to a very flustered woman on the phone at Trader Vic's. The line I was given was that Trader Vic's is closed "for remodels" and that the bar is moving to the hotel. I pressed for information, asking if it was going to still be Trader Vic's, and she was very uncomfortable, clearly not knowing what she was supposed to say. Put a fork in it, it's done.

Yep. I just called and got the same response. So much for my dinner plans in two weeks! :cry: And I had never even been there!

well son of a bitch.
guess were not going tonight.
If I lived closer, i'd drive by just to be sure.
But Anaheim to Beverly Hills to see that it is closed does not sound like fun to me.

Tiki Ti is the only place in town,now.
till somebody really steps up the tropical drink skills.

Jeff(bigtikidude)

Eater LA called and got the same spiel I got. They were told that Trader Vic's specialty cocktails will be served at another bar in the hotel, possibly Circa 55, which is near the pool. If the Trader Vic's bartenders move over to that bar, the drinks will be great, but if not, they probably won't be anything special. Many of the Trader Vic's bartenders have worked there for many, many years... I wouldn't be surprised if some of them decide they'd rather be retired than work at Circa 55. A sudden, semi-unexpected retirement would suck, though.

Well that would not be the same as having great drinks at Trader Vics, but its better than nothing. I first Saw Circa 55 about 2 months ago when I went to Trader Vics, with Ran(Kick the Reverb) and his visiting Parents. we had got to TV's early, so we wandered around the Hotel. I think that Circa 55
looks pretty cool. But we were there early in the day a 4 pm.
If the place has alot of uptight snooty BH's type people there. I'm not sure it would be so cool. But will have to wait and see.

I hope that some of the Guys from TVs go over to Circa 55.
Ben and Alfine(sp?) have been at TVs for ever and really make great drinks.

Jeff(bigtikidude)

[ Edited by: bigtikidude 2007-04-30 13:28 ]

So much for having it protected as a HISTORICAL LANDMARK....which by it's age and important significance it qualified for! :cry:

Another one bites the dust!

Any guesses on our next big loss?

Wiat, I'm confused. Does that mean it is officially closed as of RIGHT NOW? or is today the last day its open?

It is closed as of right now.

It's closed right now, last night was the final night of operation. Can't confirm with my eyes, but that's what I was told on the phone and by a commenter on my blog, and that's also what Eater LA was told.

Your feelings are natural... the next stage after Denial is Anger, then comes Bargaining (that's where I am... can't they just come work at the Palo Alto Trader Vic's?)...

First Don Ho and now this...so sudden! I am sad. I may still head over there to take some pictures of the outside anyway. I don't have any good ones, they're all too dark.

On 2007-04-30 13:35, Humuhumu wrote:
It's closed right now,
last night was the final night of operation...

I'm bummed now. I'm just glad I finally was able to get my mom to go there with me. Thanks to Bigtikidude Jeff, Ran, Jonpaul, & Marie for some awesome times there. I couldn't have asked for a better group of friends to have spent my last visit to that location with.

-K

This wouldn't of happen if Aaron Spelling was alive !!!

On 2007-04-30 12:20, JenTiki wrote:
So much for my dinner plans in two weeks! :cry:

Tell me about it. Just a few days ago a friend of mine booked non-refundable airline tickets from New York near the end of this month...just to visit his old haunting ground of Trader Vic's Beverly Hills for perhaps one last time...because I advised him he should make the trip soon if he wanted to make sure to see it. I had no idea the rug would be pulled in this manner. :(

Such an institution and cultural landmark that should never have been closed. But if it had to be, you would have thought they would have had some pre-announced final weeks of celebrations or something so everyone could say Aloha one last time in a manner befitting such a landmark.

But no. :(

They probably knew the heat was building and would continue to, against its closing...and so they likely decided to just board her up in the middle of the night with no advance warning so folks couldn't stage a protest.

Well folks,
I just got back from Trader Vic's, and I can confirm with authority they are no longer open to the public. I took a few photos, and was immediately sweated by the beverly hills hilton police as to why was I taking pictures. I told them I was an urban archeologist taking pictures of americas mid century architecture.haha, well they were very uneasy, and asked me to leave the property and to take pictures from the sidewalk. I asked if I were doing something wrong, and the suit told me not really, but the (get this!)owner doesn't want anyone on Trader Vics property other than the people setting up a private party & private party invitees. I can only assume from this point that it is an employee farewell party.
I asked if I could come to dinner tomorrow night instead of tonight..."probably not".....
The 2 black suits with ear pieces were guarding the entrance to Trader Vic's. There WAS activity going on inside, and I did see toolkits. Setting up for a private party seemed to be legit, but the suit wasn't saying who the party was for...I can only guess....Bye Trader Vic's, you will be missed by many.

Digitiki watch out for the suits while trying to get your pictures

[ Edited by: Tom Slick 2007-04-30 15:59 ]

how much you wanna bet that Paris Hilton will be at the Private party?
:roll:

Jeff(bigtikidude)

Hi everyone,

So sorry to be the bearer of such sad tidings. . .and so sorry to keep you all hanging. . . my inter-net went down and I spent all afternoon on the phone to India!

So yes, I got word from my 'TV employee informer' today after 1pm.

TRADER VICS IS CLOSED. END OF STORY.
They were told that was it, not to come in tonight or Tuesday.
Sunday was THE LAST NIGHT with no notice for anyone!
I was also told that many of the wonderful LONG LONG time bartenders are totally at a loss about what to do now-some have worked for TV for 25years, and are afraid their English skills will make it difficult to find another bartending gig in LA. How horrible is this! These bartenders are STARS and should be treated as such! I am well past denial and into anger over the fact that the Hilton corporation obviously did this quick and dirty closing to avoids any public outcry.

I feel cheated!!!

What can we do now?

Parking lot Luau/protest anyone???!!

or maybe a Uke-in?

Is the sign nailed down?

I'm so depressed and sad!! What crappy news... I thought we had more time. I'm definitely up for a parking lot protest.

It is pretty clear that the closure was done in such a sneaky manner to avoid any intererence by us and others that want to save the old Beverly Hills Trader Vic's. They didn't want us there having a farewell party and they didn't want anybody filing any actions to try and stop it, so they told us that it would close "in the future but not any time soon" to take the sense of urgency away from us. Then comes this. Very sneaky on the part of the new owners, but it could not have been done without the cooperation of Trader Vic's corporate. It would seem that their claims of wanting to keep it open were not totally honest, either. At this point we can only hope that Trader Vic's will decide to reopen somewhere else in the Los Angeles area.

Until then, there is still Tiki Ti. Long Live Tiki Ti!

Maybe the members of TC could make some phone calls and emails to the people of TV's. I mean to every single person on this list and by everyone at TC!!

Trader Vic's, Inc.
999 Fifth Avenue, Suite 590
San Rafael, CA 94901
Tel: 415-927-9788
Fax: 415-927-9688
Email: [email protected]
Robert L. Davies
President & C.E.O.
Tel: 415-927-9788

Hans W. Richter
Vice Chairman, Global Affairs
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 415-927-9788

Erik Heggen
Executive Assistant

Sven Koch
Vice President For American and German Operations
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 415-927-9788

Jerome Laugenie
Vice President, Europe, The Middle East and China
The London Hilton
22 Park Lane
London, England W1y 4be
Tel: 011 44 207 208 4113
Fax: 011 44 207 208 4050
Email: [email protected]
Rene Purro
Vice President, Asia and Spain
Special Operations
Tel: 415-927-9788
Fax: 415-927-9688
Email: [email protected]
Michelie Marshall
Wholesale Manager
Tel: 927.9788
Fax: 415-927-9688
Email: [email protected]

Trader Vic's Gourmet
P.O. Box 345
Concord, CA 94522

5650 Imhoff Drive Suite D
Concord, CA 94520 tel: 925.675.6400
fax: 925.691.9956
1.877.7MAITAI

Vice President: Peter Seely [email protected]

CFO: Anne Fortuna [email protected]

Customer Service: Gail Barber [email protected]

For Franchise inquiries:
[email protected]

It really upsets me that Trader Vics (the icon of the tiki world) has seemed to not include the tiki community in much on this issue.

Got an idea. Instead of a parking lot protest, how about working with the Vic's corporate HQ and perhaps convincing them to allow a private Tiki Central bash in the bar (bar only) for one night? That's probably pie in the sky, but hey, you never know until you ask.

and remember:"It is always with great pleasure that I look back and reminisce on the important part that Rum has played in the molding of empires." --Trader Vic

"You're not drunk if you can lie on the floor without holding on." -- Dean Martin

[ Edited by: Digitiki 2007-04-30 17:46 ]

According to Eater LA, a "Trader Vic's Lounge" is opening adjacent to Circa 55 in the hotel, on May 3. The GM and bartenders are supposedly going to staff the new lounge.

I just want to say Thank you to HUMUHUMU for all the details. You seem to have your finger on the pulse of the tiki-philes. I love your blog, very informative.

Ditto on what everyone has said here. I am sad too, as I have never been there and now won't have a chance. But what is worse is the awful treatment of the employees....that is just disheartening. :(

Would be of great interest as to how all the decorum will be recycled (and hopefully not destroyed). Apparently it is way out of the hands of the people that loved the bar/service...hence the police guards. SIGH

Vampiress,
I know exactly what you mean. I toyed with the idea of calling them up and asking if they would sell me a Tiki Bowl. I know that kinda sounds morbid, like asking a family member of a friend if I can have his record collection the day after he died.

On 2007-04-30 17:56, Humuhumu wrote:
According to Eater LA, a "Trader Vic's Lounge" is opening adjacent to Circa 55 in the hotel, on May 3. The GM and bartenders are supposedly going to staff the new lounge.

Thanks Humu for the updates!Today we walked the level that circa 55 is on, and frankly I don't know how adjacent Eater LA meant, but the only thing we saw on that lower level was circa55,the bathrooms directly out in front of circa 55, and a dead end hallway leading into a gym. Heading back up the stairs (which is ground level), there is the lobby and grand ballroom. I cannot think of(nor see) where they might be able to add a TV lounge...I'll keep my eyes open and ears to the ground.

As a side note:HBO's "Entourage" was/is filming at the hotel somewhere, but didn't see exactly where. We parked in the "Private Property" lot that used to be MAYCO's. That was the only "free" place to park, so long as we didnt get noticed by any security.It was restricted to park there, but I seen other vehicles and blended my car next to others.

I just started a thread called "Pics of Vic's" I wanna encourage everyone with pictures of their experiences at Trader Vics to post a kinda memorial pictoral! Aloha Vic's.

[ Edited by: Ojaitimo 2007-05-10 11:01 ]

[ Edited by: Ojaitimo 2007-05-10 11:04 ]

They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique
And a swinging hot spot
Dont it always seem to go
That you dont know what youve got
Till its gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

They took all the trees
Put em in a tree museum
And they charged the people
A dollar and a half just to see em
Dont it always seem to go
That you dont know what youve got
Till its gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

Hey farmer farmer
Put away that d.d.t. now
Give me spots on my apples
But leave me the birds and the bees
Please!
Dont it always seem to go
That you dont know what youve got
Till its gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

Late last night
I heard the screen door slam
And a big yellow taxi
Took away my old man
Dont it always seem to go
That you dont know what youve got
Till its gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

This picture of a tank and protesters was taken a few nights ago on Wilshire blvd near Trader Vic's.

Well that sucks the huge diseased weiner!!!!! I only got to visit BH-TV back in like '94 or something, and now it's gonna be gone??? Man this sh*t is happening everywhere!! Here in NYC buildings are coming down at an alarming rate only to make way for some shiny new antiseptic glass boxes. I used to walk around NYC and think 'wow...the Beats, Hippies, and Punks used to hang out here'. Now I walk around and say 'oh god..Paris Hilton and The Strokes hang out around here'. SELL OUTS! One day you walk down the street and BAM that cool old place you were so used to seeing for so long is leveled. It's starting to piss me off big time! I feel your pain Los Angeles.

"Winston wondered vaguely to what century the church belonged. It was difficult to determine the age of a London building. Anything large and impressive, if it was reasonably new in appearance was automatically claimed as having been built since the revolution, while anything that was obviously of earlier date was ascribed to some dim period called the Middle Ages. The centuries of capitalism were held to produce nothing of value. One could not learn history from architecture any more than one could learn from books. Statues, inscriptions, memorial stones, the names of streets-anything that might throw light on the past had been systematically altered."

from George Orwell's "1984"

Yeah..check it out. This is where we're headed. Thought Police here we come!

[ Edited by: donhonyc 2007-04-30 21:37 ]

Awesome! Fox news here in LA just did a blip on TVBH.

They said that they never even knew it was there and that there was a chain??!!!!

It's now located in a small part of the Bev Hilton, pool side. Pupu's but no food.

Too funny how the press gets it!!!!??

I thought you all contacted the press?

On 2007-04-30 22:54, RevBambooBen wrote:
Awesome! Fox news here in LA just did a blip on TVBH.

They said that they never even knew it was there and that there was a chain??!!!!

It's now located in a small part of the Bev Hilton, pool side. Pupu's but no food.

Too funny how the press gets it!!!!??

I thought you all contacted the press?

HAHAHA, I contacted the press again today when I was on my way to TV...thats cool someone aired something about it. I called 2,4,7, and 11, 2 were answering machines and 2 were live pickups.

[ Edited by: Tom Slick 2007-04-30 23:46 ]

We did, this was the usual response from various media. If they got Joe to believe the BS, the other media must have been easy for them to bamboozle.

I sent this to him today.

Dear Joe,

As of today Trader Vic's is closed in Beverly Hill's. Is this enough proof?

Tim Keenan Ojaitimo on Tiki Central

Barely Legal Radio wrote:

(Quote)I've been hearing this rumor for 5 years and they deny it. Is there
proof that they are taking it out? (Quote)

[ Edited by: Ojaitimo 2007-04-30 23:32 ]

Son of a Bitch this sucks....

I'm thanking my lucky stars that I got to go there in March. I would be even more pissed than I already am if I had missed out completely. Wish I had taken more pictures, and stolen my Mai Tai glass and a set of S&P shakers. :D

Damn.

Chris

On 2007-04-30 18:34, Digitiki wrote:
I just started a thread called "Pics of Vic's" I wanna encourage everyone with pictures of their experiences at Trader Vics to post a kinda memorial pictoral!

Well, drat. I had a digital recording of a Food Network show about cocktails that was filmed in Vic's Beverly Hills. I searched and searched and that recording seems to be MIA. The manager and one of the bartenders were featured on it and he made a Mai Tai and a Tiki Puka Puka for the host. The show was pretty silly (as most of these shows are), but it had some decent shots of the bar area and was probably one of the very few times one of the Filipino bartenders got to strut his stuff in front of the camera.