Just went to the website and the décor in this place is not so much.

It was hard to find a photo at all really.

Don't know how much they want to do to that place but it could use a lot of help just looking at the photos.

A quick easy cheap fix would be to add table top small lamps or even candles.
This adds a warm glow and or a pop of color with not much effort.

https://www.google.com/search?q=table+top+candles+for+restaurants&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi7hICy4czVAhVLRyYKHVVXCcoQ_AUICygC&biw=1229&bih=589&dpr=1.56

https://www.tigerchef.com/winco-clg-3r-red-glass-candle-holder-with-flameless-tealight-1.html?mkwid=s_dc&pcrid=103997744362&pkw=&pmt=&plc=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4v6Dt-HM1QIVnVcNCh0eIQNTEAQYAiABEgKRwPD_BwE

Skip, your lights are really very good, they rock and would definitely help the Hut.

I can help install lights if needed. I'm not an electrician, but have a lot of experience, so if the need arises I'd drive out (3.5 hours away) for a weekend to help in a work party.

Regardless of the décor, or lack thereof, are we helping them with cocktails? Or is this more of a tiki-and-beer bar? Good cocktails are surprisingly easy to make, you don't have to go broke serving good drinks. But they are essential to attracting and keeping a good solid type of customer. If people knew they could get a great Mai Tai, or a kick-ass Zombie, then the place could increase traffic and customer loyalty.

While I'm at it, how about the music they play? Good, bad, or just "meh?"

So many opportunities exist for a bar owner to improve or support their concept and theme.

Robotiki,

is there a plan on restoring the outside sign and making the torches light again as well? for what was going to be spent on the clown tikis, you probably could have had that sign repaired and restored

[ Edited by: stevekh 2017-08-10 08:01 ]

The decor is sparse, and we will be working on that. It is more of a MCM style place than some other tiki establishments, so has by definition of what constituted a more "modern" style, was always more sparse than some of the other places that had layers upon layers of stuff. The goal and challenge will be to stay true to the modern style while adding enough tikis and such to satisfy our appetite.

So to answer the questions. I am starting with tikis (and any good masks I can get, would like to get one of Leroy's from OA, or two) because that is low hanging fruit and can displace some of the African stuff that bartenders have dragged in over the years. As far as donations, I am wide open to all. As far as purchasing, I am hoping to get a sampling of all the best names in FL and indeed the world (Just spoke with Mookie Sato about doing a velvet painting). So job one is the decor.

Then I want to tackle the drinks. The problem being is their mai tai is famous to them but is not really a mai tai. If folks can get past that name and think that it is more akin to a Jet Pilot, then you can enjoy it for what it is--almost pure alcohol. That being said, after I wiggle my ass in there a bit tighter I will push for the addition of a 1944 style mai tai as well, and maybe one or two other traditional tiki drinks. We WILL have mugs. Both limited edition and mass produced. And hoping we can do a volcano bowl drink too, though I'll just buy a commercially available vessel for that.

Then I want to tackle the music. I will try exotica and see if the locals don't revolt. We'll see how that goes.

The more tiki folks that come, the more I can justify taking it in that direction. It's going to be an ongoing process, come and watch the progress.

duplicate post, mods please delete

[ Edited by: robotiki 2017-08-10 10:24 ]

"The goal and challenge will be to stay true to the modern style while adding enough tikis and such to satisfy our appetite."

From the pics I saw the décor is like the décor at my parents and many small diners and bars from long ago and that is "damn let get this place up and running" by the time they got to décor they were too tired to get that part done.

And that is fine for me really but in this day and age people want more than that in most cases.

The place looks as sparse on modern style as it does on tiki style.
But then it's hard to dress up that brown fake wood grain Formica.
If you want modern style tiki then that is Bosko for sure.

Sounds like they want to turn the place around for more business I can only guess.
And that means changes of one type or another.

I just have not seen a place that is "tiki lite" really work as of late.

On 2017-08-10 09:14, tikiskip wrote:
"The goal and challenge will be to stay true to the modern style while adding enough tikis and such to satisfy our appetite."

From the pics I saw the décor is like the décor at my parents and many small diners and bars from long ago and that is "damn let get this place up and running" by the time they got to décor they were too tired to get that part done.

I am not sure you are accurate on that. The Mid Century Modern movement in this area actually has a name all it's own as it evolved into something regional. It is called the Sarasota School of Architecture. And it was defined by clean, sparse design, modern style with native materials used as much as possible. That is not fake wood. That is pecky cypress. Very expensive to replace, thanks goodness it's all fine, though coated with decades of nicotene. The ceilings are tongue & groove cypress. With the exception of the bar top itself, it's all 100% natural materials, and all intact.

This won't be tiki lite, as you call it, it just won't be crammed every square inch with stuff for the sake of tonnage. It will be tiki well curated, and being a former museum curator, I'm confident I can make it work.

Robotiki
Mira Mar League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

[ Edited by: robotiki 2017-08-10 10:25 ]

[ Edited by: robotiki 2017-08-10 10:29 ]

On 2017-08-10 07:58, stevekh wrote:
Robotiki,

is there a plan on restoring the outside sign and making the torches light again as well? for what was going to be spent on the clown tikis, you probably could have had that sign repaired and restored

[ Edited by: stevekh 2017-08-10 08:01 ]

The clown tikis were returned so I am happy NO money was spent on them. And yes, I want to get the gas torches restored. It's high on the list.

Just remember all of the before and after pictures! :)

"That is pecky cypress"

well that's a good base, Natural materials work well in tiki décor.

On 2017-08-10 18:59, tikiskip wrote:
"That is pecky cypress"

well that's a good base, Natural materials work well in tiki décor.

Glad you approve, I was worried.

Robotiki
Mira Mar League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

[ Edited by: robotiki 2017-08-11 07:08 ]

On 2017-08-11 04:43, robotiki wrote:

On 2017-08-10 18:59, tikiskip wrote:
"That is pecky cypress"

well that's a good base, Natural materials work well in tiki décor.

Glad you approve, I was worried.

[ Edited by: robotiki 2017-08-11 07:08 ]

Ha!

Latest communique on the Bahi Hut. Phase 1 project list. In addition I'm getting quotes to relight the gas torches on the sign.
"Scott, it was good speaking with you last night. Following is a synopsis of what we discussed:

1. Small stuff inside the bar: repair light shades; repair chairs, place small tikis or other appropriate items as donated or purchased.
2. Repair Fibre Glass Windows near the entrance
3. Get estimates/timing of new roof
4. Get prices and pictures of 8 ft Tikis to be installed in front by entrance
5. Get estimate of creating a fenced-in area north side of bar facing hotel. Area to be either wooden deck or concrete patio, some lighting, landscaping, tikis, etc. Sliding doors from the bar"

This is just a cosmetic start. I'd like to introduce some authentic drinks to the menu as well.

BTW, the are looking for a new manager/bartender. Must have experience in a tiki bar and pass background checks. Who wants to live in tropical Sarasota and work in a 1954 tiki bar? Contact me with resume if interested.

Seeing the change in the thread title is great news!!

Been awhile since I have been here on TC so... Aloha !

First off, Huzzah RoboTiki !

RoboTiki / Scott's preservation and restoration efforts at the Bahi Hut have been monumental and his hours of time and sweat equity have earned him my respect and admiration !

He called... We came !

A few of us locals have answered the call and plan to step up and assist Scott where we can with these efforts. We met last week and formed an unofficial steering committee that will meet on a regular basis to further the cause and endeavor to bring more Tiki Revolutionists into the fold.

I look forward to this adventure and hope that the TC community will continue to help us support Scott with constructive input here and on Social Media.
Oh, and on that note... Thank You !
I believe your input on Facebook helped us avoid that DayGlo nightmare!

Please come and visit soon if you can. We will be taking a lot of BEFORE photo's and video but you will want to experience the full transition.

Come and see it now... before The Metamorphosis!
Let us know you are coming and we will try and have a local ambassador there to share some ALOHA !

This is so great to see. Thank you Robotiki for taking this on, and to Bohemiann & the other locals for getting involved and supporting it. It's so nice to see something positive for a change.

I just came across this article - congrats on getting some good recognition for your efforts!

http://www.yourobserver.com/article/bahi-hut-sarasota-tiki-tradition

Congrats on the positive article!!

And good luck on the continued restoration :)

I love that the Bahi Hut has basically become this TC group project. I hope I'll get the chance to visit it some day!

That was a very good article. It's great that your efforts are building a buzz. I look forward to seeing a follow-up piece once the restoration is completed. :)

The paper version of the Bahi Hut story came out with a nice quote by Sven as a callout. Almost 3 full pages!

Very good! And if things continue to move in the direction we have been reading about, then the Bahi Hut can find itself positioned as the newest (but still old) tiki hot spot in the US. And that's a meteoric rise from where it was just a few months ago.

So clown tiki, in this case, helped a place in a positive and very surprising way. I will make a trip down there soon cuz I'm in Orlando fairly often. The extra drive is only an hour or so.

THIS IS GREAT NEWS for Tampa area tiki!

Evening RoboTiki!
I sent you a private message on here!

Thanks,

Robotiki thank you for all of your hard work!!

here is a link to that good newspaper article on the restoration/saving of this great bar:

http://www.yourobserver.com/article/bahi-hut-sarasota-tiki-tradition

Any update on how the Bahi Hut fared during Irma?

On 2017-09-13 08:20, Prikli Pear wrote:
Any update on how the Bahi Hut fared during Irma?

It did fine. The roof is shot anyway so it could not do much damage there. Working this week on lining up carpenters to do the roof as a restoration period style.

Latest progress;
I've hired a carpenter to rebuild the front overhang and replace rotten wood before the new roof. It will be built back to 1954 specs with cypress tongue and groove replacing the later plywood patches. Period recessed can lights will replace the later added bathroom closet looking lights up there now.

I'm working on getting twin 8' tikis made for the entrance in a Marquesan style.

And I have found a surfboard repair guy that is going to take a stab at restoring the fiberglass panels either side of the door. The other option would be to replicate them but I'd like to try and save the original panels and will exhaust all other efforts before replacing them.

More tiki folks patronizing this place would do wonders. Come check it out!

So much goodness to report, as I mentioned in a separate post, the owner is moving forward on restoring the gas lit tiki torches on the sign. He approved my taking down of the mirrors added by a beer distributor a decade ago to make the place look bigger. All the other shit, Christmas lights and the like is all coming down this weekend. We soon will add a 1944 mai tai to the menu in addition to the traditional kerosene mai tai that is locally famous. All of this is possible because folks got involved with their social media when they were about to steer off course. So this is a victory for us all!

On 2017-10-12 07:09, robotiki wrote:
We soon will add a 1944 mai tai to the menu in addition to the traditional kerosene mai tai that is locally famous.

The best of both worlds! It's great that the original is moving in without the local favorite getting the boot. It's fantastic what you've been able to accomplish thus far!

Our new tikis are carved and will be stained and installed soon. More progress!

Nice, good job Jeff

We visited Jeff at the Bahi Hut last Saturday, Oct 28th. The work was still in progress and, WOW, looked GREAT! We can't wait to go back and see the tikis installed and also have a few drinks.

The new tikis are up! Still need staining and some tweaking but we got the twins in the ground this morning. They continue 4 more feet underground. All together about a 1000 pounds each but we manhandled them vertical. This is just the beginning. More to come!

Robotiki
Mira Mar League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

[ Edited by: robotiki 2017-11-05 13:01 ]

Those look GREAT Robotiki! The establishment date is a nice touch.

More Bahi Hut progress.

The tikis are now stained and after a few weeks I'm going to polyurethane the hell out of them.

But more important, the front overhang was restored last week. All the rotten wood underneath was ripped out, new beams, new cypress tongue and groove custom milled wood installed underneath just as it was 63 years ago, and new facias. It does not look changed, only new, and that is the goal.

The new roof is coming soon and the gas lit tiki torch sign restoration is in the works too.

We can all thank the owner, the mysterious but very sincere Mr. B for being totally responsive to the tiki community.

Robotiki
Mira Mar League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

[ Edited by: robotiki 2017-11-14 06:50 ]

[ Edited by: robotiki 2017-11-14 09:44 ]

That's more great news, and that's why some of us will drive long distances (3-4 hrs) to spend time in such a fine establishment.

We rarely get to see such glowing reports of what people do "right." Thank you for helping the tiki community, "the mysterious Mr. B," and for keeping us so well-informed, robotiki.

Thanks for the kind words.

I should also note that the adjoining hotel is being rebranded with new signage as the Sarasota Polynesian Motor Lodge (My idea and the owners are running with it!) and the theme will carry over to the hotel and it's pretty gardens and pool area. Look for a full scale tiki event here in the not too distant future.

Robotiki
Mira Mar League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

[ Edited by: robotiki 2017-11-14 09:50 ]

===================
On 2017-11-14 09:49, robotiki wrote:
...the adjoining hotel is being rebranded with new signage as the Sarasota Polynesian Motor Lodge (My idea and the owners are running with it!) and the theme will carry over to the hotel and it's pretty gardens and pool area. Look for a full scale tiki event here in the not too distant future.

Excellent! Another sign that tiki is still growing in the current renaissance.

===================
On 2017-11-14 09:49, robotiki wrote:
Look for a full scale tiki event here in the not too distant future.

You'll need a naming contest for the event! My lame-ass entries:

Bahi Hut Bash...
Robotiki's Rarotonga Roundup... (Alternate: "Rarotonga Romp")
Sarasota Tiki Anecdota...
Bahi Hut Cocktail Conniption...

Ugh... :drink:

You'll need a naming contest for the event! My lame-ass entries:

Bahi Hut Bash...
Robotiki's Rarotonga Roundup... (Alternate: "Rarotonga Romp")
Sarasota Tiki Anecdota...
Bahi Hut Cocktail Conniption...

Ugh... :drink:

Good start. I actually had an event there before----more like a dry run for a real event, and it was tied into a couple other places including Sarasota Jungle Gardens and the now defunct Trader Vics, and it was called Jungle Fever. We had like music around the hotel pool and played nonstop vintage jungle girl movies on a portable movie screen. If the other venues are up for it again, it may stay Jungle Fever. Talks were underway to stage a dinner at Jungle Gardens with Marina the Mermaid doing her fire dance and such, but they have a no alcohol rule there which squelched that. But there is lots of opportunities and the adjoining hotel is perfect for such an event with a big L shape that wraps around a pool and beautiful gardens.

You'll need a naming contest for the event! My lame-ass entries:

Bahi Hut Bash...
Robotiki's Rarotonga Roundup... (Alternate: "Rarotonga Romp")
Sarasota Tiki Anecdota...
Bahi Hut Cocktail Conniption...

Ugh... :drink:

Good start. I actually had an event there before----more like a small dry run for a real event, and it was tied into a couple other places including Sarasota Jungle Gardens and the now defunct Trader Vics, and it was called Jungle Fever. We had live music around the hotel pool and played nonstop vintage jungle girl movies on a portable movie screen. If the other venues are up for it again, it may stay Jungle Fever. Talks were underway to stage a dinner at Jungle Gardens with Marina the Mermaid doing her fire dance and such, but they have a no alcohol rule there which squelched that. But there is lots of opportunities and the adjoining hotel is perfect for such an event with a big L shape that wraps around a pool and beautiful gardens.

Robotiki
Mira Mar League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

[ Edited by: robotiki 2017-11-17 10:14 ]

The new tongue and groove eaves look great. Like they did when new. Still needs some stain but the whole front looks better now....

Robotiki
Mira Mar League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

[ Edited by: robotiki 2017-12-07 07:24 ]

After another coat of stain. Look for these tikis to be immortalized momentarily in a new Eekum Bookum mug! Next stop some paint on the door.....

Robotiki
Mira Mar League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

[ Edited by: robotiki 2017-12-07 07:46 ]

Nice work!

Check out the new mug!

https://www.facebook.com/BahiHut/videos/1793515170720297/

That sculpt looks fantastic! Can't wait to see the fired version!

There will be 50 of the mugs done for the inauguration of the new tikis available first come on New Years Eve available by going there only. They will feature a special glaze not available after that. Photo to come soon.....