Trader Vic's

: "Trader Vic is also the nickname of Wall Street trader Victor Sperandeo."Victor Jules Bergeron, Jr. (December 10, 1902 – October 11, 1984) was the founder of a chain of Polynesian-themed restaurants that bore his nickname, Trader Vic, and one of two people who claimed to have invented the Mai Tai. The other was his amicable competitor for many years, Don the Beachcomber.

Bergeron attended Heald College in San Francisco, California. [ [http://www.heald.edu/about_heald/history.htm Heald College: Career Education and Hands-On Learning ] ] Starting with $500 in 1934, Bergeron opened a small bar/restaurant across from his parent's grocery store in Oakland, California named Hinky Dink's. As its popularity spread, the menu and decor developed an increasingly tropical flair; Hinky Dink's soon became Trader Vic's. The empire of restaurants is credited as one of the first successful themed chains, which many others followed.

During the Tiki culture fad of the '50s and '60s, as many as 25 Trader Vic's restaurants were in operation around the world, all featuring the popular mix of Polynesian artifacts, unique cocktails, and exotic cuisine. In the 1980's and 1990's the empire began to shrink as a new generation of people had little or no connection to the restaurants' tiki theme. Poor locations or less trendy addresses also took a toll on the chain's popularity. While many of the original locations have since closed, Trader Vic's is experiencing an explosive resurgence as new generation discovers the strong drinks and unique tiki atmosphere. Twenty-five locations exist around the globe today equaling the previous chain record, with a few more due to open shortly.

Current locations

[http://www.tradervics.com/rest-0.html]

North America

Canada

*Ontario
**Toronto (Opening) [http://www.tradervics.com/rest-chicago.html]

United States

*Arizona
**Scottsdale
*California
**Emeryville
**Los Angeles (Opening spring 2009)
**Palo Alto
*Florida
**Destin
*Georgia
**Atlanta
*Illinois
**Chicago (Opening)
*Nevada
**Unincorporated Clark County [http://www.tradervicslv.com/contactvic.asp]
*Texas
**Dallas
*Washington
**Bellevue [http://www.tradervics.com/rest-bellevue.html]

Asia

East Asia

*Japan
**Chiyoda, Tokyo
*Republic of China
**Taipei, Taiwan

outheast Asia

*Thailand
**Bangkok

outhwest Asia

*Bahrain
**Manama
*Jordan
**Amman
*Kuwait
**Kuwait City
*Lebanon
**Beirut
*Oman
**Muscat
*United Arab Emirates
**Abu Dhabi
**Al Ain
**Dubai
***Crowne Plaza
***Souk Madinat

Europe

*United Kingdom
**City of Westminster, London, England
*Germany
**Berlin
**Hamburg
**Munich
*Marbella, Spain

Planned openings and recently opened locations

*Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.A at the Miracle Mile Shops shopping center, September 2007 (Labor Day Weekend)
*Beijing, China - December 2007
*Chicago, Illinois - Planned re-opening in November 2008 at 1030 N State Street. The original eight-foot tall Easter Island tiki statue that stood outside the old location at the Palmer House is already in place in front of the new site.
*Kuwait City, Kuwait - summer 2008

Most recent closings

*Chicago, Illinois December 31, 2005
*Osaka, Japan June 30, 2006
*Beverly Hills, California, U.S.A. May 1, 2007. (Trader Vic's Mai Tai Bar moved to the pool of the Beverly Hilton Hotel.) [ [http://la.eater.com/archives/2007/04/30/breaking_trader_vics_closed.php Eater LA: BREAKING: Trader Vic's Closed? ] ]
*San Francisco, California, U.S.A. January 1, 2008. [ [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2008/01/09/FDLVU7FNB.DTL The Inside Scoop: End of an era as Washbag, Trader Vic's close doors ] ]
*Shanghai, China January 31, 2008.
*Bellevue, Washington August 23, 2008 [ [http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/allyoucaneat/2008/08/25/aloha_indeed_trader_vics_close.html Seattle Times All You Can Eat Blog: A final "aloha": Trader Vic's closes in Bellevue] ]

Former Locations

*Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
*Washington, DC, U.S.A. at the Statler Hilton, later the Capital Hilton. Operated 1961 to 1995.
*Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. at the Palmer House Hilton. Operated 1957 to 2005.
*Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.A. Operated at the Westin Crown Center Hotel until 1996. [ [http://www.pitch.com/2007-03-08/dining/check-in/ Check In, page 1 - Dining - The Pitch - The Pitch ] ]
*New York, New York, U.S.A. at the Savoy Hilton. Operated 1958 to 1965.
*New York, New York, U.S.A. at The Plaza Hotel. Operated 1965 to 1989. Located in the basement, it displayed the 40-foot long seagoing outrigger canoe from the set of the 1962 movie "Mutiny on the Bounty" starring Marlon Brando. Whereabouts of the canoe are unknown.
*Portland, Oregon, U.S.A. at the Benson Hotel. Operated 1959 to 1996. El Gaucho Steakhouse currently occupies the former Portland Trader Vic's.
*Dallas, Texas, U.S.A. at the Mockingbird Hilton. Operated 1965 to 1988. Reopened 2007 at the same location, now the Hotel Palomar operated by Kimpton Hotels & Restaurant Group.
*Houston, Texas, U.S.A. at the Shamrock Hilton.
*Seattle, Washington, U.S.A. at the Westin Hotel. Operated 1949 to 1991.
*Vancouver, B.C., Canada at the Bayshore Inn. Operated 1961 to 1996. The original Trader Vic's dining house was moved by barge to its current location in Brentwood Bay near Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island.
*Havana, Cuba at the Havana Hilton. Operated 1958-1960. Manager was shot boarding one of the last flights out of Cuba during Castro's takeover. Has remained in continuous operation as the Polinesio Restaurant.

Books of recipes and stories

*Trader Vic's Book of Food and Drink - Copyright 1946
*Bartender's Guide by Trader Vic - Copyright 1947
*Trader Vic's Pacfic Island Cookbook - Copyright 1968
*Trader Vic's Bartenders Guide - Copyright 1972
*The Menehunes - Copyright 1972
*Trader Vic's Book of Mexican Cooking - Copyright 1973
*Trader Vic's Book of Food and Drink - Copyright 1946
*Trader Vic's Kitchen Kibitzer - Copyright 1952

Books published by third parties

*Trader Vic's Tiki Party!: Cocktails & Food to Share with Friends

References in popular culture

*Warren Zevon, on his 1978 album "Excitable Boy", released the popular single "Werewolves of London". The song's lyrics include "I saw a werewolf drinking a Piña Colada at Trader Vic's; / His hair was perfect".
* The popular Fallout series of CRPGs published by Interplay Entertainment, and set in California, feature a character named Trader Vic.

References

External links

* [http://www.tradervics.com/ Trader Vic's company website]