What began as a bad feeling about the Chicago Trader Vic’s now appears to nearly confirmed. As previously reported, things started to look fishy when the successful Tabu Tiki Nights were stopped by the Palmer House Hilton’s new management. Trader Vic’s employees have passed along the word that Trader Vic’s will be no more (in Chicago, at least) after the first of the new year. The Chicago Trader Vic’s opened in 1957; this closing comes just shy of hitting 50 years.
On the brighter side, Chicago tiki is otherwise on the rise: earlier this year saw the opening of Canoe Club, an upscale tropical restaurant (think Ray’s) in Orland Park, and in the coming weeks an exciting new restaurant called the Tiki Terrace will be opening in Prospect Heights. Tiki Terrace in particular looks promising — it has multiple tikified dining rooms, and will have regular Polynesian floor shows.
- Trader Vic’s Chicago Closing? [Humu Kon Tiki]
- storm clouds loom for trader vics chicago [Tiki Central]
- Trader Vic’s, Chicago [Critiki]
- Canoe Club [Critiki]
- The Tiki Terrace [Critiki]
October 14th, 2005 at 9:13 pm
As if Wednesday night (Oct 12), none of the staff could definitively confirm or deny the closing… but that said, they were also all asking me if I could get them jobs at Tiki Terrace!
December 16th, 2005 at 8:16 pm
[...] Chicago Trader Vic’s Closing [Humu Kon Tiki] [...]
March 26th, 2007 at 5:03 pm
canoe club is closing. it’s going to be a banquet hall.