The Polynesian, Seymour, CT (restaurant)

Name:The Polynesian
Type:restaurant
Street:Rte 34
City:Seymour
State:CT
Zip:
country:USA
Phone:
Status:defunct

Description:
From the back of a postcard :
Featuring the delightful "Tiki" Dining Room Exotic Polynesian and American Cuisine Prepared by the famous "Chef Reeves" Dining every eve. - Tues. Thru Sunday Dancing to Hawaiian and American Bands Indoor Swimming Pool - Heated year round Banquet facilities for 400 The "Matu" Cocktail Lounge Rte. 34 - Seymour, Conn.

I bought this ashtray off Ebay and couldn't find anything listed on TC so I Googled and found this postcard

The ashtray is plastic and rather large. At first I thought someone just stuck the coaster onto it but it appears the design is printed onto the plastic.

DustyCajun I posted the ashtray photo on your Facebook a few days ago to see if you had any additional info.

Whoa! So is this a mid-century location newly discovered on Tiki Central? That's so cool! And exciting! Congrats, SandraDee! Interesting how they actually use "Tiki" in the name. AND the postcard has a tiki on it!

Interested to see if any images of The Matu Cocktail Lounge surface anywhere.

Thanks for posting!

I wonder what prompts the banging of that big gong?

The arrival of the health inspector.

Maybe the gong is involved in their version of the mystery bowl ceremony.

Tobunga I don't think I have ever contributed to the Locating Tiki thread before so I am stoked :)

There is this same postcard on Critiki but I only found that after I posted this entry.

The message on the card said the restaurant was in an old Russian hotel.

I'll be selling in Conn. 3 times, this month. Maybe I'll find Seymour & do a drive-by just to see what's there.

This is the only place near Seymour and on 34 I could find that was a hotel and it does have meeting space,

Liz,nice find on the ashtray, very unusual looking. I had seen that postcard years ago and have not come across another. This was likely a flash-in-the-pan Chinese Tiki joint.

Here is a matchbook from my image library.

The old phone number suggest a very early use of the "Tiki Room" theme.

DC

Thanks DC...took you long enough to contribute but I knew you had to have something in your stash :wink:

Hmmm! Just spent the weekend doing a bit of a retro road trip, in CT. Not sure where Seymour is, but I like to drive by locations just for the heck of it. That Tiki has an interesting look. Wish I could see the whole thing.

I dug up a littler more information on the Polynesian in Seymour.

They did not lack for entertainment, featuring a variety of Polynesian acts.

This article from 1963 indicates a change of ownership after a year, which would indicate that in opened in 1962.

DC