urgent : important news regarding kona / sam's seafood

I would definitely go to shows there, HB is a nice central location for Orange County. With all that space, it's a shame not to use it regularly.

[ Edited by: Kiki von Tiki 2009-02-08 22:17 ]

Wow, didn't know the situation was so dire. I'm not here as often as most of you, but I am very interested in Sam's. Though it is outside of the LA Conservancy's service area, I would like to offer assistance. The preservation angle here is to apply for the California Register: http://ohp.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=21238

Anybody can do this, it offers the same protection as local designation and there is no fee to apply. However, the State Historical Resources Commission, while very interested in Mid Century resources, holds nominations up to a very high standard. Is it the first? the last? the best? I mean, you really have to write a book about the place and back it up with documentation.

I'll walk someone through it and mentor them, but I can't take it on by myself. It would certainly be the first tiki establishment to be listed in California.

ALSO, please know that outside of possible tax benefits for the owner of the land, the practical benefits of the nomination would be that the property would have to be evaluated under CEQA http://ceres.ca.gov/ceqa/ if a development were proposed. It would have no affect on the lessee or whatever business is operating inside.

Well I sent my email to "George", hopefully he can help. I'm in marketing and what I think is needed is a little infusion of marketing capital. I think for so long everyone wanted this place to be kept a "locals" secret and now it's suffering because of it. Spend a little on enhancing the website with some professional photography, run an agressive ad campaign, get links to the restaurant on other Tiki/Polynesian sites, and especially advertise that it's a great party, even wedding venue. I really want to have my husband's surpise 50th here and I've called and emailed them about planning it with no response, I guess because of the uncertainty of its future.

WOW!
I have finally had a chance to view all of the post regarding KONA. As the owner of this restaurant I want to personally thank all of you for your heartfelt comments and emails. I have allways been a little stubborn and never willing to admit defeat as long as I felt there was a chance. WIthin my last days of operation I received an email from someone interested in partnering up with me. I have my final meeting with this potential partner who will breath new life and assure a very long history for this Tiki destination. I will have a definate announcement coming this week. I am not at liberty to comment on any details but when (if) the news breaks I am confident the T.C. community will be overjoyed! The name of the restaurant will change (again). You all will be very excited and there is no doubt with regards to the familiarity of the name or its' long world renouned history. With that I don't want to jinx anything and I'll leave the rest to your imagination. Thank you all again so much!

another trader vic's!?!?

On 2009-02-16 22:21, drinqwine wrote:
With that I don't want to jinx anything and I'll leave the rest to your imagination.

One can only imagine the possibilities....

Buzzy Out!

Chuck,

Good news !!! I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I'm pretty sure what the name will be and I think it's OUTSTANDING !

Will you have anything to do with the business anymore ?

I sure hope so.

It'll be good.

Trust me.

No more guessing.

Just wait. Please.

Whew....close one....
That's awesome news! Can't wait to hear what happens!

YAY!

This is some of the best 'news' I've heard in a long time!

OakTiki and I have adored Sam's on our west coast trips, but never made it out to see the Kona incarnation. Truly, it is a landmark treasure that must be preserved.

Waiting with bated breath and fingers crossed!

On 2009-02-17 07:21, RevBambooBen wrote:
It'll be good.

Trust me.

No more guessing.

Just wait. Please.

If it is what I think it is...it will be amazing.

Well, I guess you, Mr Boo, have something to do with all of this.

If so, I'm sure it will be awesome.

Anticipation........

Is anyone following up on the information Chris Nichols offered?

On 2009-02-17 09:27, tikiyaki wrote:

On 2009-02-17 07:21, RevBambooBen wrote:
It'll be good.

Trust me.

No more guessing.

Just wait. Please.

If it is what I think it is...it will be amazing.

Well, I guess you, Mr Boo, have something to do with all of this.

If so, I'm sure it will be awesome.

Anticipation........

Frankie's West Coast Tiki Room? (open 24-7, with slot machines and smoking?) Yayyyy!

Kidding of course...that is great news.

I'll throw my two bits out here too...since there seems to be no news regarding the old Marina Del Rey location...

Don the Beachcomber?

Cool!!!
Can't wait to hear the news!

YAY!

Hey Ben, where's my mug shelf?

Love you bro'.

Don the Beachcomber is coming to KONA.

Thank you all for your support!

Chuck Purrington
Operating Partner
Don the Beachcomber, Huntington Beach, CA

Congrats!
That's awesome news!
Wishing you the best!

Positively thrilled! out of my mind excited. A Don the Beachcomber, just can't believe it!
Chuck, please consider, in developing the new cocktail menu, contacting Jeff Berry, who has researched, documented, and decoded drinks from Don the Beachcomber in his crucial series of books.

[ Edited by: oceaotica 2009-02-19 00:44 ]

YAY! Chuck, that's FANTASTIC news!!!

I'm all giddy with excitement... or maybe that's the mai tais...

Folks.....

That sound you just heard was me FREAKING OUT !!!!

HOLY CRAP !!!

Don The Beachcomber!

Thanx for some amazing news Chuck !!!

Damn.......Wow!!! Can't wait to hear more Wow stunning news! I'm very excited! Complete with Don the Beachcomber Cocktails? Mugs?...

Now THAT is an exciting revelation! /'fingas crost'/

Astounding!

Can't wait!

On 2009-02-18 23:08, drinqwine wrote:

Don the Beachcomber is coming to KONA.

Thank you all for your support!

Chuck Purrington
Operating Partner
Don the Beachcomber, Huntington Beach, CA

WooooooHooooooo! :)

Been watching this develop from 3000 miles away & I got goosebumps when I read the final news. That is awesome! You guys don't know how good you've got it out there. We're fortunate to have a few decent Tiki joints around her, (Kowloon, Bali Hai, Huke Lau), but there is very little appreciation for mid-century anything. This is where the freakin Pilgrims landed, so any preservation is aimed at 200 year old buildings not 50 year old buildings. They just keep knocking down everything mid-century & putting up damn Walgreen's & BJ's Wholesale Clubs! This stuff happens so fast that, even if we united to help, we don't stand a chance. Hooray for you guys. I'm trying to figure out a way to visit SoCal in the coming year, but my wallet is fighting me all the way. When I do, I hope to meet up with a bunch of you folks! Congrats & Mahalo
Rick

On 2009-02-19 07:42, Big Kahuna wrote:
...they just keep ... putting up damn ... BJ Wholesale Clubs!...

Just how many of those do you have to buy to get them at wholesale? :lol:

Seriously, sounds like great news for the people of OC

AWESOME!!!

Nooooo waaaay.......
I really hope a bunch of money goes towards advertising! Get the word out! Drive up some excitement from non-tiki people! This is so cool.
Might be expensive to sound-proof that back room, but if you could put on concerts back there, you can have some steady business on the nights that aren't pulling the dinner crowd. Just a thought.
By the way, The Hula Girls are ready to play when you want us....
Amazing news!

On 2009-02-19 07:42, Big Kahuna wrote:
Been watching this develop from 3000 miles away & I got goosebumps when I read the final news. That is awesome! You guys don't know how good you've got it out there. We're fortunate to have a few decent Tiki joints around her, (Kowloon, Bali Hai, Huke Lau), but there is very little appreciation for mid-century anything. This is where the freakin Pilgrims landed, so any preservation is aimed at 200 year old buildings not 50 year old buildings. They just keep knocking down everything mid-century & putting up damn Walgreen's & BJ's Wholesale Clubs! This stuff happens so fast that, even if we united to help, we don't stand a chance. Hooray for you guys. I'm trying to figure out a way to visit SoCal in the coming year, but my wallet is fighting me all the way. When I do, I hope to meet up with a bunch of you folks! Congrats & Mahalo
Rick

Well, as someone who grew up in the land of virtually NO tiki - Long Island - I certainly know how "good" we have it. That being said....there is the same apathy for Mid Century Architecture here too. For me, that's why I take this whole Sam's/Kona thing so seriously. This place is special, and now hopefully with Don moving in there, it will return to the glory of it's heyday when it was Sam's, but we're still in a horrible economy, and things aren't like they were 40 years ago, so there is no certainty...which means...

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL TIKI BAR !!!

Not for nothin', but those place you have up there in the Northeast are really cool, and when I see the threads with the photos, I get a little jealous that you guys have a place like Kowloon....old school.

[ Edited by: tikiyaki 2009-02-19 08:43 ]

aaaawwwww gggyyyeeeaaaa

So come to Lake George for Ohana!

Suzanne

Wow!!! That is the most amazing news I have heard all day!!! The hair on my back (no there's not THAT much) stood up when I read that....awesome!

Chuck,
Is Art Snyder involved with this Beachcomber (being as this location is on the mainland), or did you manage to obtain the rights to Don the Beachcomber outright for your location from him?

[ Edited by: oceaotica 2009-02-19 11:44 ]

YAY.

I'm definitely appreciative of what we have & they seem to be holding up quite well, actually. Went to the Kowloon a couple of weeks ago & it was completely mobbed. They have an upstairs comedy club & they have bands up there fairly frequently too. It's still owned by the same family, I believe, so there's a definite emotional tie for them. It did get a little 80's makeover, but 90% of the original coolness remains. They changed carpet, wallpaper in some places & tables & chairs, but for the most part, the ambience remains. Route 1, where the Kowloon is, used to be a mecca of mid-century kitsch, but things are getting bull-dozed at an alarming rate. There's still a few key places left, (Hilltop Steakhouse, The Ship restaurant, the pizza joint with the Leaning Tower), but alot of stuff has vanished in the last ten years. These places all seem to be doing well, I guess the strong survive. I wonder if I had a small MC family owned business & corporate America came in & offered me millions, if I would have the guts to turn them down. I definitely understand why people sell out to take care of their families. I'll just keep patronizing these places for as long as I can.
Mahalo,
Rick

What?

Is this serious? Don't spring something like this on me before I have even finsihed my second cup of coffee.

Sam's Seafood/Kona is going to become a DON THE BEACHCOMBER?!

Na, I must be dreaming. Stupid alarm never wakes me up on time. Yeah, I think I just read that Martin Cate is leaving Forbidden Island. It's not April Fool's Day yet. I'm still asleep.

Wow Great News,
thanks Chuck.

I second the recommendation on making sure that the Drinks are up to par with how the Don the Beachcomber drinks are supposed to be.
Please contact Jeff Berry about this.
Or Martin Cate who just recently left Forbidden Island in Nor. Cal.

Jeff(bigtikidude)

Yes, Kowloon is being run by the third generation owners from the Wong family. There is always someone from the family working in the restaurant and Bobby recognizes many of the local tikiphiles on sight, especially Bargoyle.

It is always busy but we had dinner there on Valentine's Day and when we left our table at 7pm there were about 3-400 people waiting in the lobby for tables which was crazy busy even by their standards.

Don the Beachcomber? What the &#%@!&&!&^@%!!? YEAH YEAH YEAH!

Thanks Chuck for the wonderful news, man!

My last post here a few days ago was created on a hunch (on instinct?)
and a prayer..with all the talk of a "classic" to be reincarnated and with the new Trader Vics in LA poised for opening soon - what was left? Kono Hawaii? Seven Seas? The Tikis? The Islander?!!?

Orange County is extremely fortunate to be the future home of THE mainland Don the Beachcomber (I'm wiping the drool off my shirt collar as I type this)

What a venue for Martin from F.Island! Martin as general bar manager overseeing a classic well trained Philipino bar staff?
CAN YOU IMAGINE?

So. Cal tikiphiles will someday soon boast about their "emerald triangle" of sorts..for world-class tiki establishments..I feel an idea for a painting coming on :)

Flip side: I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this operation does not become a focus of neighborhood constraints and embarrassment. South Orange County / Huntington Beach locals will understand what I mean, specifically where public drinking is concerned. I'll stop here and leave that discussion for another thread.

So glad to hear the good news...I had become a Tuesday night regular there for the all night happy hour. Kalua pork sliders and sweet potato fries were my favorites. Some Tuesdays there were only about 5-10 others in the bar all night long. I knew this wasn't a good thing even for a Tuesday and I am happy to hear the Beachcomber folks are going to step up and take a chance with Sams/Kona. This will probably mean the end of the landmark swordfish, but that is a small price to pay for an ongoing tiki establishment two minutes from home.

Awesome!

On 2009-02-19 10:52, tikihai wrote:
This will probably mean the end of the landmark swordfish, but that is a small price to pay for an ongoing tiki establishment two minutes from home.

myspace.com/anotherdayinthelbc

[ Edited by: Jason Wickedly 2009-02-19 11:43 ]

I don't mean to be a doomsayer... but, having lived in Belmont Shore, Long Beach for over 10 years just 1 1/2 miles from Sams/Kona, I thought I would throw my thoughts into the thread. (Just moved back to Massachusetts though)
First of all - I love Sams - my restaurant of choice in the LB hood, whenever family visited or whenever I could break my non-tiki gf into having Mai Tais.
Sams is on PCH (pacific coast Highway) - a legend of a highway, but - they are also very close to the 5/405 interchange. The stretch of pch from long beach to huntington beach although scenic is not home to thriving enterprises, in fact most of the road is bound by a naval station, beach parking lots and preserved wildlife refuge. Most commuters opt to travel up Seal Beach Blvd to the 405 or on the other end - up Golden West blvd to the 405, choosing to miss this long barren stretch of highway.

Now in contrast the Kowloon in Saugus, Massachusetts is on one of the heaviest-traveled stretches of Highway in the Boston Metro area - 100's of thousand of commuters travel by the Kowloon EVERY DAY. Restaurants thrive on Route 1 in the Saugus, Danvers area. Kowloon is amazingly busy, with a dining capacity of 1200 patrons, they find themselves with a large waiting line every Friday and Saturday night. One has to remember though that Kowloon has the best exposure that a business could have. When 1000's of people drive by your full parking lot 365 days a year, it pretty much assures you of continued success. Kowloon continues to be as big a legend on Route 1 as the Orange dinosaur mini golf and the plastic cows at the Hilltop Steakhouse!

Sams/Kona/Don the Beachcomber - although loved by us guys, has a tough nut to crack - Restaurants thrive, just 1 1/2 miles away, in Belmont Shore - maybe 35 full service restaurants within a 1/2 mile strip, have waiting lines and bustling streetside cafes every day and night. Sams is on a stretch of PCH that is kind of forgotten wasteland. It is a nice strip to drive for a vintage LA experience with great beaches loved by surfers, but the locals don't even consider it when planning their dinner and lounge outings- "Kinda out of sight, out of mind"

I wish Sams/Kona/DonTB the best, more than you know, but I think this will be an ongoing storyline of underperforming cash flow. Somehow they have to reinvent themselves as being a 'Destination' to lure hungry, thirsty patrons regularly! The restaurant industry is all about volume, and until that happens, they will never flourish. Maybe Don the Beachcombers will become that destination.

The good news is that with the struggling economy, nobody wants to build condominium/office space in that location at the moment - so they probably have bought themselves a few more years of life, just through fate.

It sounds like they are going to need some good advertising/PR to get the name out there & get into people's repertoire of where to go instead of those crowded places a mile away.

I'm thinking Flyers and paper Ads(at the very least, a month's worth)to build the hype....LA Weekly, OC Weekly, on a weekly basis. Since this place is completely off the beaten path, it needs a strong promotion. Maybe even a billboard for a couple months on Beach Blvd near the freeways(405/22). I know it's more money, but like the old adage goes...."you gotta spend money to make money"... I want to see this venture succeed, hell I wanted to see Sam's succeed too, and I would like to advise, not to solely depend on the D.T.B. name to bring the masses.

I am excited to hear good news for both the likely preservation of Sams/Kona, while applauding the Southern California return of Don the Beachcomber! I hope the Proprietor brings his A-game, and has napkins, matchbooks, swizzles, and signature mugs made in the styles of classic D.T.B. establishments.