The front cover from a Beachcomber menu circa 1959

Donn Beach (born Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt February 22, 1907 – June 7, 1989) is the acknowledged founding father of tiki restaurants, bars, and nightclubs. The many so-called "Polynesian" restaurants and pubs that enjoyed great popularity are directly descended from what he created. After years of being called Don the Beachcomber because of his original bar/restaurant, Gantt legally changed his name to "Donn Beach". Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (511x604, 62 KB) This is a menu, circa 1959, from the defunct Don the Beachcomber restaurant in Hollywood. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (511x604, 62 KB) This is a menu, circa 1959, from the defunct Don the Beachcomber restaurant in Hollywood. ... February 22 is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... June 7 is the 158th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (159th in leap years), with 207 days remaining. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A Tiki Bar is an artifact of Tiki Culture, often of Mid 20th Century origin, wherein you can enjoy a momentary escape from the cares of modern world into a neo-Polynesian setting of scowling gods, powerful rum drinks, and mood lit bamboo & tapa cloth seating. ... Carving from the ridgepole of a Māori house, ca 1840 This article is about the wider region in the Pacific. ... For notes on some individual UK pubs, see Notable United Kingdom public houses. ...

1920s

Gantt, a Louisiana native, had left home in 1926 and traveled around the world on his own, scouring many of the islands of the Caribbean and the South Pacific. This Article does not cite its references or sources. ... 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... World map depicting Caribbean : West Indies redirects here. ... For the fictional superstate in George Orwells novel, see Oceania (Nineteen Eighty-Four). ...

1930s

A former bootlegger during Prohibition, he moved to Hollywood in the 1930s. Gantt opened a bar called "Don's Beachcomber" in 1933 on McCadden Place, and then, across the street, the first Don the Beachcomber restaurant. He mixed potent rum cocktails in his tropically decorated bar. This was such an escape from everyday life, it quickly gained popularity. At "Don the Beachcomber", customers ate what seemed like wonderfully exotic cuisines, but, in actuality, were mostly standard Cantonese dishes served with flair. The first "pu pu platter" was probably served there. His Zombie cocktail (a rum drink) was served at the 1939 New York World's Fair. He also was known for creating "Tahitian Rum Punch". Rum-running is the business of smuggling or transporting of alcoholic beverages illegally, usually to circumvent taxation or prohibition. ... Prohibition is any of several periods during which the manufacture, transportation, import, export, and sale of alcoholic beverages is restricted or illegal. ... ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... VOLDEMORT WAS HERE! Rum is a distilled beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses and sugarcane juice by a process of fermentation and distillation. ... A cocktail. ... Cantonese cuisine (Chinese: 粵菜; Pinyin: yuè cài) originates from the region around Canton (Guangzhou) in southern Chinas Guangdong province. ... A pu pu platter A pu pu platter (also pu-pu platter, pupu platter; traditional Chinese: 寶寶盤; simplified Chinese: 宝宝盘; pinyin: bǎo bǎo pán, bao3 bao3 pan2), as found in American Chinese cuisine, is a tray consisting of an assortment of small meat and seafood appetizers. ... The Zombie is a strong cocktail made of fruit juices and rum, so named for its perceived effects on the drinker. ... The 1939 New York Worlds Fair, located on the current site of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park (also the location of the 1964 New York Worlds Fair), was one of the largest worlds fairs of all time. ...

World War II

As the originator of Polynesian-style restaurants, he served in the U.S. Army in World War II as an operator of officer rest-and-recreation centers. He was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star while setting up rest camps for combat-weary airman of the 12th and 15th Air Forces in Capri, Nice, Cannes, the French Riviera, Venice, the Lido and Sorrento at the order of his friend, Lieutenant General Jimmy Doolittle. Carving from the ridgepole of a Māori house, ca 1840 This article is about the wider region in the Pacific. ... The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead... For the plant genus, see Purpleheart. ... The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration and is the fourth highest award for bravery, heroism or meritorious service. ... Overlooking Capri harbor from the rotunda in Villa San Michele. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Cannes (Canas in Provençal) (pronounced ) is a city and commune in southern France, located on the Riviera, in the Alpes-Maritimes département. ... The Quai des États-Unis in Nice on the French Riviera at night. ... Venice (Italian: Venezia, Venetian: Venexia) is the capital of the region of Veneto and the province of the same name in Italy. ... Lido and the Venetian Lagoon. ... Vesuvius keeping a watchful eye over Sorrento and the Bay of Naples. ... James Harold Jimmy Doolittle, Sc. ...

Post-war tiki fad

The back cover from a Beachcomber menu circa. 1959

Tiki restaurants enjoyed a tremendous burst of fad popularity in the 1940s and 50s and there were several Don the Beachcomber restaurants across the country. Victor J. Bergeron opened a competing version called Trader Vic's in the late 1930s in the San Francisco Bay Area and the two men were amicable rivals for many years. Each claimed to have created the Mai Tai, a rum and fruit-juice cocktail still popular today -- "maitai" is the Tahitian word for "good." The Trader claimed to have invented it in 1944, the Beachcomber in 1933. At the peak of Bergeron's success, there were more Trader Vic's around the world than Don the Beachcombers. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (637x736, 93 KB)This is a menu, circa 1959, from the defunct Don the Beachcomber restaurant in Hollywood. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (637x736, 93 KB)This is a menu, circa 1959, from the defunct Don the Beachcomber restaurant in Hollywood. ... The 1940s decade ran from 1940 to 1949. ... The 1950s was the decade spanning from the 1st of January, 1950 to the 31st December, 1959. ... The front cover from a Trader Vics drink menu circa. ... San Francisco Bay, San Pablo Bay, and the Golden Gate The San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining approximately forty percent of California, flowing in Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean. ... Mai Tai is an alcoholic beverage purportedly invented at the Trader Vic restaurant in Oakland, California in 1944. ... Map of French Polynesia Map of Tahiti and Moorea Tahiti is the largest island of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean at . ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Move to Hawaii

When World War II ended, Beach settled in Waikiki, where he opened his second Polynesian Village, the first being at his home in Encino, California where he entertained his Hollywood pals. He was the originator of the International Marketplace in Honolulu, and had his office up in the limbs of the enormous banyan tree in the center of the market. He later built an elaborate houseboat, the Marama, a prototype for what he hoped would be floating housing in Hawaii but failed to get the zoning for it. He eventually shipped the houseboat to Moorea, and lived there in retirement for a number of years before a succession of hurricanes destroyed it. He died in Honolulu. WaikÄ«kÄ« seen from the top of Diamond Head or LÄ“ahi. ... Encino is a neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles, California located in the San Fernando Valley. ... This article is becoming very long. ... ... Honolulu as seen from the International Space Station Honolulu is the largest city and the capital of the U.S. state of Hawai‘i. ... Species Many; see text for examples Banyan (Ficus subgenus Urostigma) is a subgenus of many species of tropical figs with an unusual growth habit. ... A houseboat in Amsterdam House Boat on Kerala water-ways House Boat in Kumarakom lake House Boat on Kerala water-ways A houseboat is a boat that has been designed or modified to be used primarily as a human dwelling. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A typical zoning map; this one identifies the zones, or development districts, in the city of Ontario, California Zoning is a North American term for a system of land-use regulation. ... The Sofitel Ia Ora resort on Moorea Cooks Bay Moorea is a high island in French Polynesia, part of the Society archipelago, 17 km (roughly 9mi) northwest of Tahiti. ... This article is about weather phenomena. ...

Don the Beachcomber Restaurant Locations

The original Don the Beachcomber restaurants are no longer in existence, but here are some of the former locations of the chain:

• Los Angeles, California (the original location in Hollywood) - 1727 North McCadden Place
• Chicago, Illinois - 101 East Walton Place
• Corona del Mar, California - 3901 E. Coast Highway
• Dallas, Texas - Meadow Road, just off Greenville Avenue, closed in the mid-1980s
• Honolulu, Hawaii - International Marketplace, Waikiki
• Houston, Texas - Woodlake Square
• Las Vegas, Nevada - Sahara Hotel
• Malibu, California - 22878 Pacific Coast Highway (former home of the Tonga Lei). Closed in the 1980s
• Marina del Rey, California - Hotel Marina del Rey, 13534 Bali Way
• Oxnard, California - 2631 Wagon Wheel Road (former home of the Trade Winds). Closed in the late 1970s. Building torn down, is now a used car / RV lot.
• Palm Springs, California - 1101 North Palm Canyon Drive
• St. Paul, Minnesota - St. Paul Hilton
• San Diego, California - 1590 Harbor Island Drive (next to the Sheraton Hotel), only briefly open, around 1970
• Santa Barbara, California - 101 E. Cabrillo Blvd.
• Santa Clara, California - On Stevens Creek Blvd.

Nickname: City of Angels Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: State California County Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Area    - City 1,290. ... ... Flag Seal Nickname: The Windy City Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location Location in Chicagoland and northern Illinois Coordinates , Government Country State Counties United States Illinois Cook, DuPage Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 606. ... Corona del Mar (Spanish, Crown of the Sea) is a neighborhood in Newport Beach, California. ...      Nickname: Big D Location in the state of Texas Country United States State Texas Counties Dallas, Collin, Denton, Kaufman, and Rockwall Mayor Laura Miller Area    - City 997. ... Nickname: The Gathering Place Location within the island of Oahu in the state of Hawaii Coordinates: Country United States State Hawaii County City and County of Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann Area    - City 105 mi² / 272. ... International Marketplace is an economically-failing shopping center in the city of San Pablo in western Contra Costa County, California. ... WaikÄ«kÄ« seen from the top of Diamond Head or LÄ“ahi. ... Nickname: Bayou City Location in the state of Texas Coordinates: Counties Harris County Fort Bend County Montgomery County Mayor Bill White Area    - City 1,558 km²  (601. ... Nickname: The Entertainment Capital of the World; Sin City Location of Las Vegas in Nevada Coordinates: County Clark Mayor Oscar B. Goodman(D) Area    - City 131. ... The Sahara Hotel and Casino is located on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. ... The Malibu pier near the famous Surfrider Beach Dawn in the Santa Monica Mountains The Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) in central Malibu The Paradise Cove pier in Malibu Malibu is a city located in western Los Angeles County, California, United States. ... Marina del Rey Marina del Rey (Spanish for Navy of the King, or Seacoast of the King) is a census-designated place seaside community located in an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County, California. ... Nickname: The City that Cares Location Location of Oxnard, California Government Country State County United States California Ventura County Mayor Dr. Thomas E. Holden Geographical characteristics Area    - City km²  (36. ... Palm Springs is a famed Riverside County, California, desert resort city, approximately 110 miles east of Los Angeles. ... State capitol building in Saint Paul Saint Paul is the capital and second-largest city of the state of Minnesota in the United States of America. ... It has been suggested that Downtown San Diego be merged into this article or section. ... Santa Barbara is a city in California, United States. ... Official website: http://www. ...

Don the Beachcomber Revival

When Disney's California Adventure opened in 2001, it included a small Don the Beachcomber at its Hollywood & Dine food court. It offered Chinese food, but did not serve alcoholic drinks. The restaurant closed within a few years. In 2005, full scale Don the Beachcomber restaurants opened at the Royal Kona Resort in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii; another is slated to open at the Royal Lahaina Resort in Lahaina, Hawaii by 2007. Disneys California Adventure is a Disney theme park in Anaheim, California, adjacent to Disneyland and part of the larger Disneyland Resort. ... ... Lahaina is a census-designated place located in West Maui, Maui County. ...

External links

• Don the Beachcomber Story - Food and Drink Recipes
• Royal Kona and Royal Lahaina