Do something for the Mai Kai today

Dave Levy has spent a lot of money and time to make the Mai Kai see it's former glory. It looks incredible. These are hard times in the US to be investing all that money. It's a good time to do a little to help them if we can.

Have you looked at the online reviews of the Mai Kai? Try Trader Vic's? The reviews are just all over the map. Lots of people don't get it. They obviously go in thinking Chucky Cheese and get the bill and freak out. I suppose I can understand that to some extent. These places are just unlike any other.

So, you want to do something for the Mai Kai? Keep it around for you kids to see, and theirs? Here's a simple way to help. Go to the links below and write a rave review of the Mai Kai. Let's get our prespective out there and make the casual tourist want to go badly. It's the least you can do.

Yahoo travel

Yelp

Trip Advisor

And review any other places you want to help be around for a long time while you are at it. We especially turn to these places when traveling. Let's make the Mai Kai one of the best reviewed places out there. It's certainly top in my book!

Oh, and send this to other people. Facebook it or whatever....

Done!

Done as well. If you write a review on Yahoo be sure to flag the 1 star reviews as 'not helpful', and mark the good reviews as 'helpful'. This gets the good reviews to the top of the list. Many of the bad reviews appear to be written by the same person or persons. Perhaps a former employee with a beef against the Mai Kai.

This is one of the best preservation campaign ideas ever. Here, everybody can help the last great Tiki temple to find its worthy position on the internet.

Maybe another good idea would be to show the negative reviews to the owner and manager of the Mai Kai. I'd like to hear what there reaction is to the bad comments. Would they even care?
Just a thought,
Chub

On 2009-07-11 01:44, Chub wrote:
Maybe another good idea would be to show the negative reviews to the owner and manager of the Mai Kai. I'd like to hear what there reaction is to the bad comments. Would they even care?
Just a thought,
Chub

I know they would care. That's a job for Pia. I'll get it to her attention. Some of those are just awful and should be removed.

And don't stop with the Mai Kai while you are there. I looked up a few places to give my input. I did like one of the cranky TV ATL reviews "Disneyland for drunks." But, most of our treasured places have bad reviews from those who don't get it, and from sticker shock.

I couldn't believe those reviews--these people just don't get it. Put my reviews in also--hope this helps!

[ Edited by: Okolehao 2009-07-11 23:29 ]

Where does Mai Kai's business mostly come from?

Is it from regulars or is it from out-of-town tourists trying it for the first time?.

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2009-07-12 11:54 ]

On 2009-07-12 11:54, JOHN-O wrote:
Where does Mai Kai's business mostly come from?

Is it from regulars or is it from out-of-town tourists trying it for the first time?.

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2009-07-12 11:54 ]

I can't answer that diffinitively, but I dare say they thrive on the tourist. Regualrs, locals, tend to come for Happy Hour and dinner occasionally. But the tourist who comes in for the dinner show is their mainstay. That's why these reviews are important.

Pia is their full-time marketing director and that obviously means getting word out to the traveling people.

I am onboard and will post my reviews. I read some of bad reviews. OMG the parking went from $2 to $5! Sweet Jesus what will we ever do? I guess if it is not the Olive Garden or some other crap people go to - it freaks them out. Hey, I tolerate kids a well as the next person, but some of these people think they are going to EPCOT or Chuck E Cheese. So when they dont get the $1.25 hot dog surprise the whole place is shit. Oh well. This might be a stupid idea or unworkable, but maybe if first time visitors got a quick 1-2 minute history intro - it might make the difference in how it is viewed? I could use a Jet Pilot right about now....

[ Edited by: Tonga Tiki 2009-07-12 12:27 ]

On 2009-07-12 12:26, Tonga Tiki wrote:
I am onboard and will post my reviews. I read some of bad reviews. OMG the parking went from $2 to $5! Sweet Jesus what will we ever do? I guess if it is not the Olive Garden or some other crap people go to - it freaks them out. Hey, I tolerate kids a well as the next person, but some of these people think they are going to EPCOT or Chuck E Cheese. So when they dont get the $1.25 hot dog surprise the whole place is shit. Oh well. This might be a stupid idea or unworkable, but maybe if first time visitors got a quick 1-2 minute history intro - it might make the difference in how it is viewed? I could use a Jet Pilot right about now....

[ Edited by: Tonga Tiki 2009-07-12 12:27 ]

Actually, parking is free if you valet. They only charge if you choose to park yourself. Something to add to your review I guess.

The ones that kill me are the ones that complain about how dark it is. I agree that people get the bill and decide the place sucks because they paid more than $8 for dinner.

And I think that by putting a lot of good reviews out there, maybe we are preparing people who read them to expect the right things and have a better experience.

Well isn't Tiki food really supposed to be unimaginative 1950's-style Chinese food. Anyone who's had authentic Chinese food is going to make the comparison and be really disappointed. I'm guessing that a lot of the bad reviews are based on 21st century American palates trying to digest the type of cuisine which was popular with their grandparents. It's just like classic Continental food falling off the radar after the 1950's and early 1960's.

Oh well, at least a good strong cocktail is still timeless. That's why Tiki-Ti is still packing them in 4 nights a week. Tiki-Ti is one of the most popular and highly rated LA nightspots on Zagat and Yelp. It's interesting that for such a small place, Tiki-Ti has 200 more Yelp reviews than Mai Kai.

I think the key to Mai Kai's continuing existence is to market to hipsters looking for an ironic kitschy experience rather than families on vacation. These are the people who will "get it". I'm not sure though how many hipsters travel to Ft. Lauderdale in lieu of Miami.

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2009-07-12 22:20 ]

Done. On tripadviser at least. This is a great idea. I think it might be great if we had some computers set up at Tiki Oasis where members could write reviews of all our favorite haunts. Call it a mission preservation drive.

I did the Hat Trick, reviews on all 3 sites!

I love the Mai-Kai so much I was happy to do it. :D

I put mine on yahoo. I'll do the other too!

I added my two coconuts!

On 2009-07-12 15:32, JOHN-O wrote:
Well isn't Tiki food really supposed to be unimaginative 1950's-style Chinese food. Anyone who's had authentic Chinese food is going to make the comparison and be really disappointed. I'm guessing that a lot of the bad reviews are based on 21st century American palates trying to digest the type of cuisine which was popular with their grandparents. It's just like classic Continental food falling off the radar after the 1950's and early 1960's.

Oh well, at least a good strong cocktail is still timeless. That's why Tiki-Ti is still packing them in 4 nights a week. Tiki-Ti is one of the most popular and highly rated LA nightspots on Zagat and Yelp. It's interesting that for such a small place, Tiki-Ti has 200 more Yelp reviews than Mai Kai.

I think the key to Mai Kai's continuing existence is to market to hipsters looking for an ironic kitschy experience rather than families on vacation. These are the people who will "get it". I'm not sure though how many hipsters travel to Ft. Lauderdale in lieu of Miami.

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2009-07-12 22:20 ]

There are plenty of people who get it and love the Mai Kai. Hipsters are not going to keep the place open. We manage one night a year at Hukilau okay, but getting 300-1200 of us in there for dinner every night of the week is just not possible.

The Mai Kai is a very large operation with over 200 employees. It takes a lot of customers to keep it going and doing well. I just don't want a handful of people who read a menu, and order and then are shocked when they get the bill, or, who walk in and complain that it's dark, to command the internet reviews. Those who love the Mai Kai vastly outnumber those who complain. But no ton the web reviews. I guess it's like the suggestion cards. They tend to skew negative too.

I like the idea of putting this toegther at Oasis and other events. Maybe we can do this at Hukilau next year. Make a website with links to all the review sites for Mai Kai and then a list of every other place we can think of and encourage people to sit down and review.

Swanky, I think this is a terrific idea! Too many times, the closed-minded opinions of the uninformed prevail on these sites. I agree that we, as a bloc that gets it and feels it, should make every effort to (publicly) inform others and keep these niche businesses alive - esp in this economy!
Kudos to all who've made the effort and posted! Having a "posting station" at Oasis and Hukilau is a fabulous idea and I intend discussing this with Otto! After all, these events shouldn't just be about room parties and having fun. We should give back as much as we can to these establishments that give to us.
Mahalo!!

Great idea Swanky! I just entered my review on Yahoo and it bumped their overall rating up to 4 stars from 3! Thanks to all the other TCers reviews which drove the average up.

Will do my review on Yelp and Tripadvisor also.

[ Edited by: thejab 2009-07-13 17:43 ]

Glad to oblige. Check out...
http://open.salon.com/blog/doeroadx/2009/07/14/white_devil_go_glug-glug

AKA Pahoehoe Ule! !uSathane omhlophe umthondo omkhulu!

[ Edited by: White Devil 2009-07-14 11:59 ]

On 2009-07-13 10:20, Molokai Mike wrote:
Swanky, I think this is a terrific idea! Too many times, the closed-minded opinions of the uninformed prevail on these sites. I agree that we, as a bloc that gets it and feels it, should make every effort to (publicly) inform others and keep these niche businesses alive - esp in this economy!
Kudos to all who've made the effort and posted! Having a "posting station" at Oasis and Hukilau is a fabulous idea and I intend discussing this with Otto! After all, these events shouldn't just be about room parties and having fun. We should give back as much as we can to these establishments that give to us.
Mahalo!!

Molokai Mike: If memory serves me correctly, and it so rarely ever does, the origional tiki oasises were designed to raise money and protect the Caliente Tropics and the tiki that was Palm Springs. Having a posting station returns the oasis back to its primary mission.

By the way, Trip Advisor is now moving into 4 territory.

[ Edited by: telescopes 2009-07-15 05:43 ]

On line restaurant reviews are nearly meaningless. Restaurant operators, (and I'm one), know that the web is full of negative comments and you can't run your business based on them. Locals know the real facts... tourists may be misled, but you've got to trust that most people know better than to base their decisions totally on what they see on the web.

We'd love to monitor every review and challenge them when the facts are wrong, but that's just not possible. Ya gotta let it go.

Sometimes, you may run into a comment worth considering... an idea or a thoughtful insight. And rarely, an authentic incident worth checking out. But a restauranteur's time is better spent in the restaurt, with the guests, understanding what's important, what's missed and what's needed.

For a typical restaurant online reviews may not be so meaningful. For a destination restaurant this can be crucial. People don't want to throw away their tourist dollars on a disappointment, and a quickly growing number of folks do their pre-trip researching online now. Reviews are not for the restaurant to micromanage, they are for the clientele to maintain.

Leaving more positive reviews about the Mai-Kai and your other favorite places takes so little time but can do a world of good. Going to these places does even more, but if you can't be there help get other people there! The current reviews on the Mai-Kai truly don't reflect the place, even through my rosy-tinted, swizzle-fogged glasses.

I certainly don't mean to stop anyone from supporting the Mai Kai in every way possible. I do hope that the good folks there are able to ignore any on-line negativity. Life is too short and there's too much to do for the guests in the restaurant.

The Mai Kai is different than your typical restaurant. It is a destination and a tourist destination in a tourist town. These online reviews do make a difference.

Yahoo: 3 of 5 stars: 46 ratings; 31 reviews
Yelp: 4 of 5 stars: 31 reviews
TripAdvisor: 3.5 of 6 stars: 77 ratings; 75 reviews

We can do better. If the Mai Kai were gone, would you not feel bad that you didn't spend the 2-3 minutes required to add a top review to these sites? These aren't kittens dying here, it's Rum Barrels and 1934 Zombies and Jet Pilots served by sarong-clad girls in the Molokai Lounge!