Bob Loo's Chinese and Polynesian Restaurant , Salem, NH (restaurant)

Name:Bob Loo's Chinese and Polynesian Restaurant
Type:restaurant
Street:Rt. 28
City:Salem
State:NH
Zip:
country:USA
Phone:
Status:defunct

Description:
Here is a matchbook I have from Bob Loo's Polynesian and Chinese restaurant located in Salem, New Hampshire. I know what your thinking, another Tiki place from Salem, NH!

Very cool Tiki image on the cover.

Could not find out much else, other than folks in NH missed Bob Loo's when it closed and the Lucky Dragon is the next best thing these days.

DC

What I'm thinking DC is you got a ton of cool Tiki stuff and keep finding More! Dang!

The NY Times mention this place briefly in a October 21, 1987 article about restaurants "Greener Grass in Suburbs".

NYTimes - "In Salem, N.H., Bob Loo's Restaurant has to transport employees from Boston to the workplace."

Bob Loo's had a sporty menu as well.

DC

I'm more thinking like what's DC into all these trashy Chinese Tiki Devolution places for? :)

Comment noted. I am a non-discriminatory researcher of Tiki - the good, the bad, and the de-evolved trashy.

DC

Trash it up DC. Your doing a great job with the research :D

[ Edited by: uncle trav 2010-06-03 14:47 ]

On 2010-06-03 14:29, Dustycajun wrote:
I am a non-discriminatory researcher of Tiki - the good, the bad, and the de-evolved trashy.

I know you know the difference, DC -- but do other people ? :)

Let's just say that if the first Tiki locales that I would have come upon on my urban archeology expeditions would have been 70s and 80s Orchids of Hawaii-decorated Chinese Restaurants, I would have not felt quite that compelled to write the BOT. :D
No doubt they are historically interesting to Tiki scholars, though.

Wow, I remember going to this restaurant many times, when I was a kid growing up one town over in the 80s and 90s. The outside of the restaurant was brick with bright yellow signs and pink downlights along the roof eaves. At night you could see it from space. Fun atmosphere and pretty good food. I cannot remember why they closed but they were there for a couple decades. Nice post, thanks for the memories

Oh, man, soooo sorry to see Bob Loo's isno longer! :( used to hang out there eating popo platter (ooooh crab Rangoon) offer the evening shift at a local hospital. Currently looking forward to dinner at the Tonga Room in SF next month with my aunt and uncle!

Found some additional info about Bob Loo's:

Bob Loo's was located in a former Howard Johnson's which was built in 1962 and closed around 1972. A steak house moved in almost immediately, but closed within a year. Then, in 1972, came Bob Loo’s, Salem’s first Chinese/Polynesian restaurant. In typical fashion, the top portion of the Howard Johnson’s cupola was removed. Likewise, the orange tile roof was replaced with a standard asphalt roof, and the trapezoid sign was taken down. Aside from these surface changes though, the building retained most of its visual lines and remained largely recognizable as a former Howard Johnson's. Bob Loo’s continued a successful operation here until late 1998, when the owners decided to retire and close the business for good.

They produced at least one collectible glass -- a hi ball with a moai on front to serve their house Fog Cutter cocktail in.

Robert N. Loo (Bob) passed away in 2010. He was known for this restaurant as well as the highly successful Silver Dragon Restaurant in Methuen which was started around 1962 and burned down in March of 1985.

source: https://mytiki.life/tiki-bars?q=bob+loo%27s