Trader Vic's
{{Short description|Polynesian-themed American restaurant chain}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Trader Vic's
| logo = Trader Vic's Logo.jpg
| image = Trader vics london.JPG
| image_size =
| image_caption = Trader Vic's, London
| type = Private
| location_city = Emeryville
| location_country = United States
| locations =
| key_people =
| owner =
| revenue =
| industry = Restaurant
| founded = {{start date and age|1934|11|17}} as Hinky Dink's
| founder = Victor Jules Bergeron, Jr
| area_served = United States
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
| products = Mai Tai
| website = {{url|tradervics.com}}
| footnotes =
}}
File:Menu, Trader Vic, Oakland (cover) (12001586684).jpg
Trader Vic's is a restaurant and tiki bar chain headquartered in Emeryville, California, United States. Victor Jules Bergeron, Jr. (December 10, 1902 in San Francisco – October 11, 1984 in Hillsborough, California) founded a chain of Polynesian-themed restaurants that bore his nickname, "Trader Vic". He was one of two people who claimed to have invented the Mai Tai.{{cite news |url=https://www.sfgate.com/wine/spirits/article/Trader-Vic-put-mai-tai-on-the-lips-of-millions-2673055.php |title=Trader Vic put mai tai on the lips of millions|publisher=San Francisco Chronicle |date=November 11, 2004}} The other was his amicable competitor for many years, Donn Beach of the "Don the Beachcomber" restaurants.
History
Bergeron attended Heald College in San Francisco.[http://www.heald.edu/about_heald/history.htm Heald College: Career Education and Hands-On Learning] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051123132443/http://heald.edu/about_heald/history.htm |date=2005-11-23 }} On November 17, 1934, using $500 in borrowed money, Bergeron opened a small bar/restaurant across from his uncle's bar at San Pablo Avenue and 65th Street{{cite web|url=https://www.google.com/maps/search/San+Pablo+Avenue+and+65th+Street,+Oakland,+California/|title=Google Maps|website=Google Maps}}{{cite book|last = Bergeron| first = Victor| year = 1973| title = Frankly speaking: Trader Vic's own story| publisher = Doubleday & Company, Inc.| location = Garden View, New York| isbn = 0385031750|url = https://archive.org/details/franklyspeakingt0000trad/page/n7/mode/2up}} in the Golden Gate District of Oakland.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/1984-Victor-J-Trader-Vic-Bergeron-dies-3283926.php|title=1984: Victor J. 'Trader Vic' Bergeron dies|first=Johnny|last=Miller|date=October 11, 2009|website=SFGATE}} He named it Hinky Dink's. In 1937, Bergeron made a trip to Cuba to expand his bartender skills. When he returned to the United States, he toured Don the Beachcomber in Hollywood. These two trips inspired him to start decorating the bar with an increasingly tropical flair. To match the bar's new tiki theming, Bergeron changed the name from Hinky Dink's to Trader Vic's. {{Cite news| first = Rob| last = Arias| title = Trader Vic's: Rediscover E'ville's most celebrated bar| url = https://web.archive.org/web/20250328134155/https://evilleeye.com/history/trader-vics-rediscover-evilles-most-celebrated-bar/| work = The E'ville Eye| date = December 31, 2013| access-date = April 2, 2025}}
In 1949, Western Hotels executive Edward Carlson convinced Bergeron to open his first franchised location in the Benjamin Franklin Hotel in Seattle.{{Cite web|url=http://www.tradervics.com/legacy/legacy.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100124155434/http://www.tradervics.com/legacy/legacy.html|url-status=dead|title=Trader Vic's legacy|archive-date=January 24, 2010}} Originally a small bar named The Outrigger, it was expanded into a full restaurant in 1954 and renamed Trader Vic's in 1960.{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zTovDwAAQBAJ&q=outrigger+seattle+1949&pg=PA250 |title = Lost Restaurants of Seattle|isbn = 9781439662625|last1 = Flood|first1 = Chuck|date = 18 September 2017| publisher=Arcadia }} Due to the restaurant's success, Bergeron worked with Western Hotels to open Trader Vic's locations in a number of their hotels. In 1940, Bergeron opened a Trader Vic's location in Hawaii"Trader Vic Will Open His Trading Post on Thursday", Honolulu Star-Bulletin, December 14, 1940, page 6 and in 1951 at 20 Cosmo Place in San Francisco.
Because Bergeron lacked the capital to expand, he partnered with Hilton Hotels. Conrad Hilton opened his first Trader Vic's in The Beverly Hilton in 1955. Two years later, Hilton opened another Trader Vic's in The Palmer House in Chicago, and then licensed the Trader Vic's brand for use throughout his chain for $2,000,000, retaining Bergeron to oversee the decoration, staffing and operation of the restaurants for an annual salary of $65,000.{{cite book |author=King |first=Michelle T. |author-link=Michelle T. King |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PMGWDwAAQBAJ&q=%22trader+vic%27s%22+%22hilton+hotels%22&pg=PA217 |title=Culinary Nationalism in Asia |date=25 November 2020 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=978-1350078673 |pages=213–225}} Hilton soon estimated the popular Trader Vic's establishments were earning his hotel chain $5 million a year. Sheraton Hotels quickly opened competing chains of tiki restaurants in their hotels, known as Ports O' Call and Kon-Tiki.
During the Tiki culture fad of the 1950s and 1960s, as many as 25 Trader Vic's restaurants were in operation worldwide. They all featured the popular mix of Polynesian artifacts, unique cocktails, and exotic cuisine. The chain of restaurants grew and is credited as one of the first successful themed chains, a marketing model that many other restaurants followed.
In 1972 the original location in Oakland was closed and replaced by a bayfront restaurant in {{Coord|37.8380|-122.3078|display=title|name=Trader Vic's Flagship Restaurant}} nearby Emeryville, now considered the chain's flagship restaurant. {{Cite news| first = Paolo| last = Bicchieri| title = People Keep Speculating This Iconic Bay Area Tiki Bar Is Closing. It's not.| url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231201184131/https://sf.eater.com/2022/4/21/23035955/trader-vics-emeryville-open| work = SF Eater| date = April 21, 2022| access-date = April 3, 2025}} In the 1980s and 1990s, the chain began to shrink as the tiki theme carried little resonance with a younger generation. Poor locations or less trendy addresses took a further toll on the chain's popularity. While many of the original locations have closed, Trader Vic's once again grew to 18 locations around the globe as of July 2018.{{cite web |title=Trader Vic's locations |url=http://tradervics.com/our-locations/ |access-date=6 July 2018}}
As of 2024, there are three Trader Vic's restaurants in the United States, one in Europe, ten in the Middle East, two in Asia, and one in Africa.
The Trader Vic's Corporation has also franchised restaurants and bars under the names the Mai Tai Lounge (all locations defunct), Trader Vic's Island Bar & Grill (opened 2010 in Sarasota, Florida, shuttered in 2013 – where the company experimented with a Margaritaville-like concept), and Señor Pico.{{cite web|url=http://eatingla.blogspot.com/2009/06/historic-la-senor-pico-was-trader-vics.html|title=Eating L.A.: Historic L.A.: Senor Pico was Trader Vic's Mexican cousin|date=5 June 2009|website=blogspot.com}}{{cite web |url=http://www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral/bb/viewtopic.php?topic=1257&forum=5|title=Slightly OT: Senor Pico's |publisher=Tiki Central }} There is one remaining Señor Pico location at The Palm Dubai.
Drinks
According to the Trader Vic's website, the Mai-Tai was invented by "Trader Vic" Bergeron in 1944 in Oakland, California.
Beyond the Mai Tai, Bergeron's other more famous drinks included the Fog Cutter and the Scorpion Bowl.{{cite book |last1=Berry |first1=Jeff |title=Beachbum Berry Remixed |date=2010 |publisher=Club Tiki Press |location=San Jose|page=48 }} Both drinks were served in a specific and highly decorated mug or bowl. His take on a Hot buttered rum was also an early example calling for a specific ceramic mug, in this case a skull.{{cite book |last1=Bergeron |first1=Victor |title=Bartender's Guide |date=1948 |publisher=Garden City Books |edition=Reprint|page = 19}} The Scorpion Bowl in particular and its many variations proliferated onto the cocktail menus of virtually all subsequent Tiki bars.{{cite book |last1=Berry |first1=Jeff |title=Beachbum Berry Remixed |date=2010 |publisher=Club Tiki Press |location=San Jose|page=68 }} The menus from his restaurants could list dozens of different tropical drinks.{{cite web |title=Trader Vic's Menu |url=http://menus.nypl.org/menus/28284 |website=menus.nypl.org |year=1968 |access-date=16 February 2019}} As was the case with Don the Beachcomber, rum was the hallmark ingredient in most of his cocktails, but Vic is also credited with creating the Eastern Sour, which employed less common (for Tiki drinks) rye whiskey, and another drink using even more rarely used tequila (the Mexican El Diablo).
Headquarters
The company is headquartered in Emeryville, California.{{cite web |url=http://www.tradervics.com/contacts-0.html |title=Corporate Contacts |access-date=2010-02-25 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061110115304/http://www.tradervics.com/contacts-0.html |archive-date=November 10, 2006 }}. Trader Vic's. Retrieved on February 25, 2010.
At times the company had its headquarters in several locations in the San Francisco Bay Area, including Corte Madera and San Rafael.{{cite web |url=http://www.tradervics.com/contacts-0.html |title=Corporate Contacts |access-date=2010-02-25 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060821165625/http://www.tradervics.com/contacts-0.html |archive-date=August 21, 2006 }}. Trader Vic's. August 21, 2006. Retrieved on February 25, 2010.{{cite web |url=http://www.tradervics.com/contacts-0.html |title=Contacts |access-date=2010-02-25 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080319102313/http://www.tradervics.com/contacts-0.html |archive-date=March 19, 2008 }}. Trader Vic's. March 19, 2008. Retrieved on February 25, 2010.
Current locations
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Country
!State/Province !City !Year opened !Notes |
|---|
| Germany
|1971 |Located in the Hotel Bayerischer Hof |
| United States
|1972 |
| Japan
|Tokyo |1974 |Located in the Hotel New Otani Tokyo |
| United States
|1976 |Located in the Hilton Atlanta |
| Thailand
| |1992 |Located in the Anantara Riverside Bangkok Resort, formerly Marriott Royal Gardens Riverside |
| United Arab Emirates
|1994 |Located in the Beach Rotana Abu Dhabi |
| United Arab Emirates
|1994 |Located in the Crowne Plaza Dubai |
| United Arab Emirates
|1999 |Located in the Al Ain Rotana Hotel |
| Bahrain
|2000 |Located in The Ritz-Carlton Bahrain, formerly Le Royal Meridien Bahrain |
| Oman
|2000 |Located in the InterContinental Muscat in Shati Al-Qurm |
| United Arab Emirates
|2004 |Located in Souk Madinat Jumeirah |
| Jordan
|2007 |Located in the Regency Palace Hotel |
| Qatar
|Doha |2012 |Located in the Hilton Doha in West Bay |
| Seychelles
|2017 |Located in the H Resort |
| United Arab Emirates
|2018 |Located in the Hilton Dubai Jumeirah |
| United States
|Trader Vic's Outpost – Located in San Jose International Airport |
| United Arab Emirates
|Located in the Hilton Dubai Palm Jumeirah |
Former locations
Books of recipes and stories
- Trader Vic's Book of Food and Drink (1946)
- Bartender's Guide by Trader Vic (1947)
- Trader Vic's Kitchen Kibitzer (1952)
- Trader Vic's Pacific Island Cookbook (1968)
- Trader Vic's Bartenders Guide (1972)
- The Menehunes (1972)
- Trader Vic's Book of Mexican Cooking (1973)
- Frankly Speaking: Trader Vic's Own Story (1973) ({{ISBN|0385031750}})
- Trader Vic's Rum Cookery & Drinkery (1974)
- Trader Vic's Helluva Man's Cookbook (1976)
Books published by third parties
- Trader Vic's Tiki Party!: Cocktails & Food to Share with Friends
- Cocktails of the South Pacific and Beyond (with a detailed early history of Trader Vic's original location)
- Smuggler's Cove: Exotic Cocktails, Rum, and the Cult of Tiki by Martin Cate with Rebecca Cate{{Cite web|url=https://www.smugglerscovesf.com/|title=Smuggler's Cove|website=Smuggler's Cove}} discusses the franchise
In popular culture
{{in popular culture|section|date=January 2019}}
The song "Werewolves of London," a Top 40 hit co-written by Warren Zevon and appearing on his 1978 album Excitable Boy, contains the line "I saw a werewolf drinking a piña colada at Trader Vic's."{{cite web |url=https://medium.com/cuepoint/the-secret-inspiration-behind-warren-zevons-werewolves-of-london-4a5fa337a7f1 |title=The Secret Inspiration Behind Warren Zevon's 'Werewolves of London' |first=George |last=Plasketes |website=Medium |date=June 15, 2016 |access-date=May 29, 2019}} The Trader Vic's in London opened in 1963.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/32036966/trader_vics/ |title=Trader Vic's |newspaper=The Guardian |location=London |page=8 |date=April 24, 1963 |access-date=May 29, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}}
The restaurant is also referenced by Bill Murray's character, Frank Cross, to John Forsythe's character, Lew Hayward, in the 1988 movie Scrooged.{{citation needed|date=January 2019}}
In the film Frost/Nixon the character of David Frost orders takeout from Trader Vic's while staying in The Beverly Hilton, which formerly had a Trader Vic's location inside the hotel. The character orders a cheeseburger. {{citation needed|date=June 2020}}
In the film Thunder Force Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy dine at a Trader Vic's (scene filmed on location at Atlanta Trader Vic's).
In the New York Times bestseller and 2012 100 Notable Books, Beautiful Ruins, by Jess Walter, Trader Vic's in Seattle Washington is the setting of a scene between two characters in September 1967. In Chapter 16, "After the Fall" a couple meet at Trader Vic's and one walks "into a burst of warm air and bamboo, tiki and totem, dugout canoe hung from the ceiling."
See also
- Trader Joe's, which was inspired in part by the success of Trader Vic's
{{Portalbar|San Francisco Bay Area|Companies|Food}}
Further reading
- [https://archive.org/details/TraderVicsSavoyHiltonMenu/mode/2up Trader Vic's menu], cocktails offered mid-century
- [https://archive.org/details/franklyspeakingt0000trad/page/n7/mode/2up Frankly Speaking: Trader Vic's own story], Trader Vic's memoir
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- [http://www.tradervics.com/ Trader Vic's company website]
Category:Restaurant chains in the United States
Category:1934 establishments in California
Category:Companies based in Emeryville, California
Category:Restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area
Category:Defunct restaurants in Pearl District, Portland, Oregon