Mai-Kai Restaurant
The Mai-Kai is a Polynesian-themed restaurant and tiki bar in Oakland Park, Florida. It opened to the public on December 28, 1956, and is one of the few "Grand Polynesian Palaces of Tiki" still in operation today. In 2015 it was named the "best tiki bar in the world" by Critiki, an organization of fans of Polynesian pop culture. It is the last restaurant in existence carrying on the traditions of service and serving the original drink recipes of Don the Beachcomber, and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
History
The Mai-Kai was created by brothers Bob and Jack Thornton. They visited Don the Beachcomber in Chicago as children and even at that young age said they wanted to open a similar place. While attending college at Stanford University they often visited Trader Vic's restaurant in San Francisco. In 1955 after completing service in the armed forces, the brothers settled in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Still less than 30 years old, they decided to open a Polynesian restaurant in an undeveloped area of Oakland Park, a suburb of Fort Lauderdale. Although the area seemed remote at first – "the middle of nowhere on U.S. 1" – a tourist industry was growing in Florida in the 1950s, and both cities were undergoing rapid residential expansion, so that the restaurant immediately developed a clientele of both locals and tourists.The original restaurant was designed by architect Charles F. McKirahan Sr. and decorated by Wayne Davidson. It cost $350,000 to complete, making it the most expensive restaurant built in the US that year. It earned more than a million dollars in its first year. It quickly became one of the top-grossing restaurants in the United States, and for many years it sold more rum than any other location in Florida. When the brothers opened the Mai-Kai they hired away number 2 chef Lin Ark Lee, known as Kenny Lee, number 2 bartender Mariano Licudine, maitre d' Andy Tanato and seating captain and purchasing agent Robert Van Dorpe from the Chicago Don the Beachcomber, along with many staff members. Van Dorpe became the first general manager of the Mai-Kai.
The original restaurant contained five dining rooms and a 19-seat "Surfboard Bar" made of surfboards. Originally the roof of the Garden seating area was open. The constant nuisance of moving guests out of the rain caused them to enclose the roof with glass. That glass roof was opened and closed until maintenance issues kept it closed.
In 1970, Jack Thornton sold his interest in the Mai-Kai to his brother Bob after he was struck ill by an aneurysm. Bob then expanded the restaurant, more than doubling its capacity. Bob died in 1989. As of 2014 the restaurant was run by Bob's stepson David Levy as CEO and his stepdaughter Kulani Thornton Gelardi as CFO.
In 2020, the Mai-Kai building closed following flooding caused by a burst pipe. The restaurant continued to host some outdoor gatherings. New partners started a $20 million renovation the building in 2023 and it reopened in November 2024. The new owners say it is a Polynesian venue, not a tiki bar.
The restaurant
The main building is one story with a large A-frame thatched roof. A wooden slat bridge is crossed to reach the porte cochere and entrance. The Mai-Kai has been expanded several times, largely achieving its present layout and appearance by 1971. It now includes eight dining rooms, a bar, a stage in the center of the restaurants to showcase the Polynesian Islander Revue floor show, a gift shop, and tropical gardens. The interior is decorated with nautical and South Sea artifacts.The largest renovation started in 1970 and took two years to complete. Even during construction projects, the Mai-Kai never closed, and the owners stipulated that the work must be done in such a way that customers could not see or hear it. This often meant the work was done in the wee hours of the morning. In 2009 the restaurant completed a several-years-long renovation to repair damage from Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma.
The current Mai-Kai is much like it was in the 1970s. The waitresses at the Mai-Kai's Molokai Bar are attired in bikini tops and wraparound sarongs. The menu maintains a Polynesian-Asian theme, and the cocktail menu is largely unchanged since 1956.