Comments on: Trader Vic’s Becomes Trader Meh

By: Lava Rocks

Lava Rocks — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 03:53:56 +0000

I love everything about the famous Mai-Kai in Ft. Lauderdale. I’m working to duplicate the “Moloka’i Bar” hopefully next year in Houston, Texas. I think Houston is ready for an Island fever. So, if the Trader Vic is having this much problem why not duplicate the next big thing? The Mai-Kai Moloka’i bar.

Let me hear your thoughts?

By: J. Hart

J. Hart — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 00:48:17 +0000

I cant help but agree! I was in Seattle two weeks ago, and a group of us made the trip to T.V’s in Bellevue. All I could muster up was “Trader Weak!” the ownership apparently has no idea of what their heritage means. The atmosphere was generic, the wait staff had no idea they were in a tiki bar, the food while good, was over priced, and what finally nailed it for me, my drinks were second rate, in the wrong glasses, with too much ice. That killed it for me. I would have been better served to drive 3 hours south, back to Portland, so I could go to Thatch, and have good drinks, and good food.

Sadly, the trader vic’s of old is now just a memory I think. I dare say that Vic would be saddened.

By: naenae

naenae — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 20:02:09 +0000

Perhaps nostalgia, great food and drink along with the enviornment of old is a recipe that only the trader himself could master. In today’s world the double digit cocktail tends to be purchased from the pocket of the somewhat hip & trendy… The restaurant world is “chained” nowadays. Multiple outlets are the answer to branding and controlling costs, although they tend to be formulaic. Only Mom&Pop shops have the ability to do exactly what they want in a venue because the payoff is partly emotional and can be afforded. When a franchisee invests $ captial into a concept they want the security of a brand that will give them success and yet they still maintain their own ideas about how things should be done, or look, or taste. They are also looking to make money. It’s a tough game and fit only for those with the true passion for food, beverage and aesthetics… or for people who are simply crazy. Thanks to the people like chef Juan for being about the “spirit” of the experience. After all, that’s what it’s all about.

By: Chef Juan Palerm-Trader's Destin

Chef Juan Palerm-Trader's Destin — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 02:09:27 +0000

Some interesting remarks from both sides of the aisle, with both sides offering some valid and some moot points. I trained at the san Francisco store and was there during the reconstruction of the great Dallas location. There has been a change at the corporate level to make Trader Vic’s competitive and welcome to as many as possible. I see some shortcomings, but I also see the successes. In Destin, which I am sure most have you have never been to, it is a very different clientele. We don’t have the old clientele of TV, the business clientele in the big cities, nor the chic traveler. We have family tourists to deal with. They are a totally different market and we are trying to attain that market while reataining the old charm of Vic himself. I have read his books from an era bygone and I know that there is a change in the restaurant culture. Not all TV’s are going to be like the old. It isn’t a compromise, but a change. If you don’t like the direction, then there is no point in trying to please you. I think our location is great. It accents the beautiful Florida sunshine, tropical setting of our resort and it doesn’t diminish what Vic Bergeron set out to create. You have to go after your market and we have. Our drinks start out at 2ounce pours!!! That is unheard of in the bar business. I have to follow many corporate recipes, but am given freedom to create as well…and I do a damn good job. If you don’t like the calamari, go to Vic’s grave and tell him…It is his recipe. The Bongo Bongo soup, his recipe. Are we going to change these because you don’t like it? No because it is part of the culture. I think it is short sighted to think that Trader Vic’s is going to remain static and keep entirely to the old standard. Why do you think so many TV locations have closed in the past? This is a rebirth and with that comes change. We still have the 70 year old water taxi from Indonesia hanging from our roof. I still cook out of the old style Chinese oven, Tiki guards still watch our every move and we still have a kick ass bar menu that no one can rival. Fault us for what you like, we stand by what we are and we don’t apologize for it. I do invite you to come to Destin and try our food, our drinks and enjoy our atmosphere. If you think it totally sucks, I will buy your dinner. Just come with an open mind. I hope to see all of you, whether you are on our side or not, because I, frankly, love to cook and want to treat you to something special. And like I said, you will only get the best from me and I can guarantee I will always put my best spatula forward to create a memorable experience for you.
Sincerely Chef Juan

By: Frank Gillette

Frank Gillette — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 00:12:54 +0000

Swanky stop being an apologist for a corporation that doesn’t know their head from their ass. First: They are not a huge company, hell a friend of mine started a chain of restaurants just 7 years ago that easily dwarfs their worldwide output. It a niche business, they need to do their research before they grant a franchise to someone a franchisee who is clueless. Sure, its a business not built on sentiment, Trader Vics needs to use a little more savvy & be more aggressive in the marketplace. In fact my restaurant friend had an interesting question, who owns the Don The Beachcomber name? Would it be possible to re-launch it.

By: Sushiuniverse

Sushiuniverse — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 01:19:09 +0000

I just got back from the new place. Alfred is now bartendering in the main lobby bar, but Ben, Tannit and Ming are still pouring their awesome drinks. Since there is no “restaurant area”, the bar is actually quite a bit larger than before. There is a little bit of tiki stuff, but it’s more of a 1958 bachelor pad…with tiki accents. 1/3 of the room is wide open to the pool area (very cool) and the bar is a double-sider in the middle of the room. They were playing Les Baxter music and there were 4 TV’s showing Endless Summer. I wish there were nets and glass floats…it has a very clean look, but it’s nice. I like it much better than the boring sparse nautical drabness it had before. As far as the drinks… they are more expensive than before… a Mai Tai is $14 and a Navy Grog is $15….yikes! If you get to know the bartenders, they will do very cool things for you. I always get my Mai Tai made with Mount Gay Golden and Lemon Hart Demerara. Also…on occassion, they have sold me a bottle of their Mai Tai mix….it’s not the junk you can buy online from Trader’s, which is really not good. The label actaully says “not for sale” and has arabic writing on it, too. Take a trip over there and support the legendary bartenders there!

By: Humuhumu

Humuhumu — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 03:50:29 +0000

Yer darn tootin’!

Trader Vic’s does actually have something it can learn from Disney, by looking at what happened with Tokyo Disney Seas and Disney’s California Adventure. Both debuted at about the same time, but only one was developed under all that makes Disney great: eye for detail, immersive theming, quality imagineering. The other had off-the-shelf rides installed with slipcover-theming, and was designed more by marketers than by imagineers. One did incredible, boffo business, and the other was such an abysmal failure that it redefined my idea of “abysmal failure.” That’s a very expensive lesson that Disney learned, and now they’re spending untold billions in a better-late-than-never attempt to fix California Adventure.

Disney has an uphill battle in trying to not just shine their DCA turd, but in winning back the respect of those who have been turned off by its utter lack of charm. I’m not sure that Trader Vic’s even has the right people in the organization to get their turds polished.

By: beachbum berry

beachbum berry — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 03:02:36 +0000

Humu,

I am in complete accord with your eloquent rant. Remember that old saw, “The customer is always right”? Well, as customers we have a right to object when we’re being short-sheeted. And aside from skimpy corporate decor, TV is doing us all another disservice: By charging premium prices for their drinks, and using non-premium rum in them — namely, their own brand. Their new line of rums is awful, and these are the rums they’re pouring in their Mai Tais in LA and SF. Moreover, they’ve changed the recipes of their once state-of-the-art passion fruit and orgeat syrups, which as of this year are entirely artificial and entirely unpalatable. As you say, they’re cheaping out — all while waving the banner of their former glory, kinda like another corporation we could name. Oh all right, I’ll name it: Disney.

Mahalo, Bum

By: Bamboo Ben

Bamboo Ben — Mon, 21 May 2007 01:01:56 +0000

Asshat?

Awesome!!

By: tiki attack

tiki attack — Wed, 16 May 2007 17:33:46 +0000

All very interesting dialog on this subject, which a quickly skimmed through. In the appreciation of history throughout this country, I’ve seen towns big and small rip out beautiful historical icons and replace them with parking lots. All the reasons are different, yet the same. Modernize, move on to something that can make more money. There are less than half a dozen tiki bars left in LA. In February of ‘07, the Lava Lounge closed. It was a run as a rock venue in a place about as wide as a trailer and maybe twice as long. But the decor was beautiful. Sad loss and I’ll make sure it’s on Critiki. And I have been yet, but the Trader Vic’s of BH is now re-opened as a lounge. So we at least got to save something of it. Now, just imagine what a pain parking and access to will be with whatever new Waldorf they put up.