Trader Vic's in DC and KC -- 2008

Woo Hoo!

I'm not sure how reliable this is, but considering it is a press release from Trader Vic's themselves, I feel good about it

"Ground will be broken this week for Corbin Park, a new high-end retail center just outside Kansas City that will include a Trader Vic's. Plans are also currently being finalized to bring Trader Vic's back to Chicago and Washington, DC in 2008."

No further details are given.

The full press release can be found here ...
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/08-28-2007/0004652334&EDATE=

I can't wait for 2008 to reach D.C.!

Vern

Good news! DC's less than 400 miles from me! If they were smart, they'd go to Providence.

Whew.... this is indeed very exciting news for us on the East Coast!!!!

Am trying not to get too excited because the last 2 April work trips I've had to Las Vegas still haven't gotten that one open yet. The Chicago one has allegedly been in the works since the news came out about the Palmer House closing that location down.

Still - am very hopeful that this might spark a bit more revival on this side of the country. Huzzah to Vern for sharing this thrilling news!

Cheers,
Rupe

We got confirmation of the KC location today from the head Food Columnist here. The site will be on 135th St.
(Johnson County) on the Kansas Side of the state line.
The original TV's was on the Missouri side.
Can't wait to see it. Will try to add photos here as it is built and when opened.

As soon as I saw Vern's post, I sent an e-mail to TV Corporate HQ to see what was up.

My e-mail to TV HQ:

Hurray! Just heard the news. TV to break ground in DC in 2008.

Aloha

I'm one among an Ohana of about 6000 tikiphiles worldwide (Tiki Central), a number of us located in the Greater Washington National Capital Area & Vicinity. We are starving (so to speak) for a DC area restaurant with South Seas decor and cuisine, especially, a TV. At the present time, there is just one local South Seas restaurant (Pacific Restaurant—Sterling VA) and it is not centrally convenient (out by Dulles Airport).

All I'm saying is...HURRY! Times awastin'. Let me be the first to order a Mai Tai right now. It's almost impossible to find a real one around here unless you make it yourself.

We'd prefer that you broke ground in 2007 and were open for business by New Year's Eve. At the very least, please, don't let there be any delays. Give us hard hats so we can make regular inspections of the premises and light a tiki torch under the general contractor when work starts to fall behind schedule.

Mahalo

The Gnomon

Finally, heard back from them this afternoon:

To The Gnomon...

Thanks for your email and your comments about Trader Vic's, though we thought you might at least be a little enthusiastic about us coming to D.C.

Seriously, what a great email, we loved it...

I'm not sure exactly when our approximate opening date is but I am saving your email address and will let you know as we know more.

And I'm sorry about the delay in getting back to you, holiday weekend and then I had a few days off this week.

With guys like you I'm sure we'll be a big hit there, and we can't wait.

Thanks again, feel free to email us here anytime for updates...

Kindest regards,

ERIK - TV CORPORATE OFFICE - SAN FRANCISCO

Man, I hope this does happen in DC.
We need it bad!!

On 2007-09-07 09:04, skeeter wrote:
Man, I hope this does happen in DC.
We need it bad!!

they should have a new drink called the "tricki dikki" :D i could be a companion drink to the navy grog...

They could have a whole line of drinks named after presidents:
"The Slick Willie" for Clinton
"The Gipper" or "The Bonzo" for Reagan
and how about "The Air National Guard Grog" for W?

i very much look forward to the DC TV, as my work takes me to DC regularly.
Perhaps they can follow the example set by the defunct Politiki and do special mugs based on presidents' heads.

Only, they couldn't put a drink in a mug based on our current president. His head is perpetually empty.

But you could put a really MEAN drink in a Cheney mug.

..sb

Dumb ideas.

The best suggestion would be to put David Chan behind the bar!

Chicago Ohana,

What's the latest with the Windy City TV's? Don't let KC and DC get ahead of you!

It just happens that I will be in DC this coming Spring. I hope they will be open by the time I get there.

word around the coconut tree is that the d.c. trader vic's is more vaporware than anything. not to be a downer, but don't get your hopes up...

On 2007-12-12 13:34, rugbymatt wrote:
What's the latest with the Windy City TV's? Don't let KC and DC get ahead of you!

I am hearing that location at the spendy and trendy State and Rush intersection, near Division St. has been secured and that we're looking at a spring opening. This is not official, just scuttlebutt.

Back in September I exchanged a number of e-mails with Erik at TV HQ regarding the DC operation. He promised to keep me posted. But since then he has not returned any of my e-mails. Maybe he's seen some of my posts about the degradation of quality in TV products. :lol:

Guess not. Just heard back from Erik yesterday...

Hey, Gnomon

The people we were talking to in DC just sort of faded away...........guess they decided they were not interested, at least not for now.

I still have your email address and will certainly let you know if this changes in any way.

thanks, Gnomon

ERIK

So I shot him back a quick 1000 word assessment of the National Capital Area as far as what they should know about the area (if they didn't already) in picking a decent site for a TV in Washington.

Heard back from him today...

Hey, Gnomon...

Wow, just blown away by such an incredibly detailed report on DC

I'm passing it along to my bosses and we'll keep for any future plans for a TV in DC.

Thanks for taking so much time and effort to do that, Gnomon and Happy Holidays !!!

ERIK

Obviously, I won't be holding my breath. 8)

TV - DC may be a no-go at this moment, but TV - KC looks like it gonna happen! The shopping center site is being developed (constructed) right now; it'll be called Corbin Park. Not much more than a hole right now, but soon . .

http://www.corbinpark.com/

Let's hope that the photo from the Vegas Vic's was just easily available and that KC doesn't plan to pattern its version on that location.

Why would you say that? Would it offend you? Does every TV have to be completely different to be legitimate in your eyes? Please explain what you meant. Thanks

I think he just meant that the majority of TCers who have visited the Vegas Vic's had very negative things to say about it. I would find it hard to believe that many of us here would actually want them to pattern any other Vic's locations on the one in Vegas.

I cannot recall another example on Tiki Central where a newly built Tiki venue was so consistently, continuously, and repeatedly slammed as the Las Vegas Trader Vic's. It went on and on and on, and after it had just faded in the background, another bad report revived it, and another...and another... That's why he said that.

On 2008-05-22 14:27, arriano wrote:
Let's hope that the photo from the Vegas Vic's was just easily available and that KC doesn't plan to pattern its version on that location.

I hope it doesn't turn out like the Vegas TV either, but I wouldn't be too surprised. The neighborhood it's being built in is, well . . beige. Style and uniqueness are not in abundant supply in south Johnson County Kansas. We'll see, though. Are there any TV locations that have opened since Vegas? Are they as bland?

Hey, and after all, this is the first Trader Vic's that took its entrance Tiki design straight from the Book of Tiki ! :D

KC A-GO-GO /DC A-NO-NO????

I don't get it you would think with all
the political high rollers & lobbyists in
DC that Washington would be a sure bet???

Thortiki

PS Maybe a sucker bet???

KC TV is yet another location that Realty America (based in Dallas) is involved. Based on my conversations with Rusty, this is what I know:

The building is brand spanking new.

It definitely WON'T be another Vegas but it won't be Dallas or Atlanta either.

They originally were planning on opening Spring '08, then summer, then fall...you know how that goes.

For a while Rusty was in KC every week but recently he's been too busy with the Chicago location.

On 2008-05-22 16:50, Kenike wrote:
It definitely WON'T be another Vegas but it won't be Dallas or Atlanta either.

Obviously this is speculation on my part, but sounds like that places it squarely in the Destin Vic's decor department. In other words, not something to completely rag on (Vegas), but also not something to get all excited about (Dallas).

On 2008-05-22 14:48, 8FT Tiki wrote:
Why would you say that? Would it offend you? Does every TV have to be completely different to be legitimate in your eyes? Please explain what you meant. Thanks

Others expressed it pretty well already, but to respond to your question:
a) Because most people who have visited the Trader Vic's in Las Vegas and posted here on Tiki Central have been critical of the restaurant, and
b) Because the brochure for this Kansas City development showed a photograph of the Trader Vic's of Las Vegas as an example of what was coming, and
c) Because I think most people interested in tiki would prefer a Trader Vic's that was more in line with some of the chain's other locations (Atlanta, Dallas, Emeryville, etc.) than the one in Vegas.