Building The Crashland Tiki Bar/ Concepts

Hey Tiki Bar Enthusiest,
I finally got my hands on an old airplane (see pics ) for our new outdoor tiki bar. I am going for that tree top flier / crash land theme. Before I get started I thought I would throw it out to Tiki Central to what kind of concepts are out there. The bar will be a 10 X 18 X 10 U shape with a 25'L X 10'H block wall for the bar back. Also on the block wall is a 10' X 10'rock wall shower. I found the plane in Southern Indiana and I get it next week. I would like to use the whole plane if possible. Any ideas are welcome.

Thanks,

Scott

Are you familiar with the bar at Universal CityWalk in Orlando called Lone Palm Airport? It's a Buffett establishment so it's not really "tiki" but it may help give you some ideas on how to incorporate an airplane.

http://www.margaritavilleorlando.com/index.php?page=lonepalm

Cool idea :D

Check out this hotel

Ever hear of the Caribbean Zone? It was a really cool place in the SOMA district of San Francisco. It was hidden under a now defunct freeway overpass in an alley behind a bus terminal, next door to what was then Club DV8. Their kitchen was actually located inside of Club DV8, and when it went under during the dot com bubble, so did the Caribbean Zone. They paved paradise, and put up a parking lot. Literally.

The theme of the restaurant was an airplane that crash landed in a tropical jungle. It was a full restaurant that served Caribbean fare, such as Jamaican Jerk Chicken, and fried plantains. Drinks were also Caribbean style, with choices like a Bahama Mama, Goomba Boomba, or a Mai Tai with pineapple juice served in a brandy snifter. I know you ultra purists are rolling your eyes and groaning, but it really had a fantastic escapism factor - those that have actually been there can vouch for that. You approach a small looking quansit hut in the middle of what was then a semi industrial wasteland. You enter through a plain non-descript door, and then you are immediately whisked away to a tropical paradise.

The back bar was actually the fuselage of a DC-3, at one time the actual tour plane for the Doobie Bros. Someone bought it, removed the wings, and installed it as the back bar. The cool thing was, you could actually go up into the plane, and have cocktails! The waitresses would come up and take your order, then return with your drinks. And they placed small tv screens on the outside of the plane windows, so when you looked outside, it gave the illusion that you were flying. There was a lot of great tropical foliage throughout the restaurant, and there was a huge waterfall feature in the back, that was big and loud enough that you could not carry a conversation if you were seated next to it. There also was a banquet room that sat about a dozen people, and it was done up like a cave with stone walls.

I always thought that if I started a tiki bar, it would be similar to the Caribbean Zone. Here's a link to their Yelp review, and also a few pics that I scrounged off of the net:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/caribbean-zone-san-francisco

On 2009-07-11 05:06, Mai Tai wrote:
...It was hidden under a now defunct freeway overpass in an alley behind a bus terminal, next door to what was then Club DV8...

:music: "They put a parking lot on a piece of land
When the supermarket used to stand.
Before that they put up a bowling alley
On the site that used to be the local palais." :music:

Love the concept and that you actually obtained a plane. The obvious would be to hang it in a tree and put skeletons with pith helmets in the cockpit. Perhaps a fog machine in the engine compartment.

Wacky would be a busted open crate in the cargo area labeled "Toilet Plungers". Then scattered about the yard would be plungers carved into tikis and decorated with paint & feathers in classic Papua New Guinea style :D

We can live beside the ocean
Leave the fire behind
Swim out past the breakers
And watch the world die.

[ Edited by: MadDogMike 2009-07-11 21:56 ]

A friend actually gave me a toilet plunger turned into a tiki as a wedding gift, so great mind think alike.

I saw this plane bar in Sihanoukville in Cambodia, it was being built by a couple of Russian and hadn't opened yet. I think they were going to use the body of the plane as an internet lounge and have the bar bellow.

(just as an aside this is my 1000th post, I think posting about building a plane into a bar is great use of it)

Half island hut and half explorer tent. The Plane is lodged into the island hut and the explorer tent is built off of the plane. You'll need a name of coarse for the bar, something Trader or Explorer would be nice if it was an Explorer's or Trader of exotic good's plane! Maybe get some Old Timey looking photos of you in explorer's gear for some old framed photos on the wall.

Lots of crates, old lanterns, and curios that have spilled out of the crates. A crate's lid open with coconuts stacked in it. A crate of skulls. A crate of Tikis! Half the bar could be made to look like its made from old crates... Tiki Diablo made a good one. (picture below) And the other half of the bar could be made from bamboo.
Here's a link to Tiki Diablo's crate style bar on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/32667353@N05/sets/72157609773694170/
and the last picture is just insane, and I've been wanting to share this photo for a long time!

Thanks for all the great ideas! I'll post the photos as the project progresses.
Thanks, Scott

awesome concepts for a bar. talk about a close call for that guy about to get impaled by an airplane-nice