Tiki bar name suggestions for southern Michigan bar/restaurant

Friends and I will soon be opening a tiki bar and soon-to-be brewery in southern Michigan. We're having trouble naming the bar and would love suggestions. Care to help us?

The bar is landlocked on pretty flat land in a small town where names like "Tavern" or "Bar" can scare away the locals. We'd like to avoid that. The bar is on a main highway and not far from a metropolitan area, so we'd like a name that might attract travelers. The interior has a lot of bamboo, surf boards, tropical plants, a toy parrot and lots of hibiscus flowers. The exterior is being updated and will include a lot of live bamboo plants, native grasses, possibly a palm tree (if we can find one that will tolerate zone 5). We are building an outdoor seating area with horseshoe pits, sand and thatched umbrellas.

The cuisine is standard pub fare plus a bit of mediterannean and mock-polynesian foods. There's a tiki drink list of 9 standards, and then there are the microbrews. We're working on tiki-fied beer recipes for our own brewery, but will also carry Michigan microbrews in bottles.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[ Edited by: TikiTigress 2011-01-28 09:53 ]

How about BrewTiki?

Could you tell me what town your new tiki establishment will be located in? I may live nearby and would like to visit when you open..

Here are a few suggestions:

Kala Tiki

SoMi Tiki

Michigan Thatch Tiki

Hawaii 94 Tiki. (if it is on I-94)

Good luck on your new adventure.

Ukutiki

Sounds like "Tiki" is lowest on the list of prioreties for you. By name alone does not make it "tiki"

If you have dolmades eating competitions count me in. I am down for IPA taste tests all day long, hoppier the better. No, really, all day! If some college kid knocks my Pliny over with a horseshoe he's getting a horseshoe back in the teeth! I'm just sayin'. :)

Good luck.

You could always go with an island name if that's the vibe you're trying to create. Figure out the Hawaiian version of your name and call it Keiki's Island Paradise or something like that (assuming you're name was Keiki lol). When you look at past establishments, there were a lot of generic names...aka the Tropics...the Polynesian, etc. Or find a book or something that personifies the vibe to you. For example, if it's the palm tree...call it the Shivering Palm or something (okay shivering doesn't inspire warmth but does make me think of our midwest weather). You get the idea. Good luck and be sure to announce it when you open. Southern Michigan is just across from northern Ohio. Might be a good reason to finally cross that border. HA! and GO BUCKS!

[ Edited by: LoungeShark 2011-01-28 11:36 ]

I don't have a name suggestion, but I will drive down to visit when you open!

Sounds like a great idea! I get over to Michigan quite a bit and your place would definitely be a required stop. Would love a place that had a great Mai Tai that I could follow with a nicely-hopped IPA!

Best of luck and keep us posted!

Get ahold of Chad at Beaves Tikis. He is an awesome local carver - and is a local. Google Beaves Tikis or email him at [email protected]. He can hook you up with some carvings.Check the Chins thread in the events section for some photos of his work

My only suggestion is dont go to Jimmy Buffet please, we have Bahama Breeze for that. Take a ride over to Chins in Livonia for some ideas. Take that place and improve the Drinks, Music, Food, and Waitstaff and you have a winner. Please make a good drink, keep the food island / polynesian-asian versus cheeese sticks and nachos. Man I would love a real tiki establishment around here. One last thing please dont say it's in Royal Oak!! Good Luck

TikiTigress,
Mmmmmm... can you get away with "Tiki Ti of Michigan" dba "Tiki Ti" ? Or would that be sacrilegious? Tell us please in what town you are locating. I have restaurant experience and would like to learn to bar-tend. (Just kidding!) Actually, I have five restaurant/cantinas in Michigan and 12 in Indiana and maybe we could share info. or at least some stories.

Lava Lava Lounge....sorry I am not good at names, but look forward to pix of your new place.

Howzabout
Any Port in a Storm (You guys DO get alot of snowstorms out there, no?)

Bamboo seems to be a theme....
Bamboo Hideaway
Bamboo Lounge
Tiki Bamboo

Hidden Island
Mainlander Lounge

There's a million options

Great to here about your bar. Hopefully it's near Kazoo. I also hope it goes to more of the classic side of Polynesian -pop and not the generic island style. We had a 'Cheeseburger in Paradise' here in Kalamazoo that only lasted two years before going under and is now a Goodwill store. I love the name game so here we go.

The Polynesian Peninsula

Peninsular Polynesian

The Inland Seas (Mauka Kai)

The Caldera Lounge

Bamboozled

Paradise On The Peninsula

The Southern Reef

Hi, I asked my husband what he would name a bar if he opened one, he said,

"The Huli Huli Hut". To explain that, every where you go in Hawaii the menu will have Huli Huli Chicken on the menu. It always makes us smile and yes we have eaten our share of that chicken. It could be on your menu one day.

Our Best Wishes For Sucess, Wendy and Dan

My try at this: "Tiki of the Lake"

This is the Rust Belt right ?? How about the "Rusty Tiki" ?

You can commission a metal Tiki and condition it to look all rusty. Your signature cocktail will be a mixture of rum and V8 juice.

Tradewinds
Inland Seas
Forbidden Coast
West Winds

Again I beg of you no " Bahama Mamma Tiki " Bahama Breeze and Cheesburger in Paradise is not Tiki!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and we have those here all ready Thatch does not make a "Tiki Bar" . We want escapism from the cold days of winter, too forget about the outside world. We dont need to Beach Boys, Bob Marley, or other assorted Reggae. Slack Guitar or surf music would be great. Will you disclose a location?

Matiki,

You must explain yourself here...

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=36033&forum=11&vpost=573905

:)

Groovy Grove?

Any updates?

WOW. These folks kinda dropped in and then dropped out. Talk of a Tiki bar in Michigan was great to hear but I am wondering if they were more into the island style and not the classic Poly-pop version.

On 2011-01-30 12:20, JOHN-O wrote:
This is the Rust Belt right ?? How about the "Rusty Tiki" ?

You can commission a metal Tiki and condition it to look all rusty. Your signature cocktail will be a mixture of rum and V8 juice.

I like this one but shorten it...to the RusTiki - wishin' I needed a new username now. Dang it!

Although it is conceivable, I find it difficult to consider any place with a horseshoe pit to be tiki. Perhaps they can put a tiki twist on it like these good-ole-boys did with a redneck twist for their tribal festivity.

I think Mr. NoNaMe had it right. Tiki is is not among their priorities. They would probably be better off pursuing a theme where horshoes and beer are naturally featured.

I realize that the poster has not replied to any of the suggestions made thus far, but just for fun I thought I'd chime in.

The Erie Tiki (If located in South East Michigan near the lake)

Hale Kalamazoo (If located in or around Kalamazoo)

I've seen a lot named "closed for remodeling"
But they are gone now.

"Closed For Remodeling" is a great name for a bar! I'd go with that.

I've seen store fronts near me with signs that said "Coming Soon" for 6 months. Then, when they finally opened, they were in business for a month or two.

The Erie Tiki does bring a cool image to mind.

On 2011-01-28 21:52, Matiki wrote:
My only suggestion is dont go to Jimmy Buffet please,

Jimmy Buffet. :wink:

Since you're in Michigan, how about:

Michi Tiki

Any news?

I take it this bar never opened?
Too bad, Michigan is lacking majorly on the tiki front.