Kahiki Supper Club facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kahiki Supper Club |
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Postcard of the restaurant and its logo
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| Restaurant information | |
| Established | February 20, 1961 |
| Closed | August 26, 2000 |
| Current owner(s) | Michael and Alice Tsao |
| Previous owner(s) | Bill Sapp and Lee Henry, Mitch Boich |
| Food type | Tiki, Polynesian |
| Street address | 3583 E. Broad St., Columbus, Ohio |
| Seating capacity | 500 |
| Website | www.kahiki.com/supper.htm (Internet Archive copy) |
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The Kahiki
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| Built | 1960-61 |
| Architect | Ned Eller, Ralph Sounik |
| Demolished | November 2000 |
| NRHP reference No. | 97001461 |
| Added to NRHP | December 8, 1997 |
The Kahiki Supper Club was a famous restaurant in Columbus, Ohio. It was known for its fun Polynesian and tiki theme. Imagine a place that felt like a tropical island!
The Kahiki was one of the biggest tiki-themed restaurants in the whole United States. For a while, it was the only one in Ohio. It opened in 1961 when tiki culture was very popular.
In 1997, the Kahiki was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it was recognized as an important historical building. Sadly, it closed in 2000 and was torn down. People remember it as a very special and detailed themed restaurant.
After it closed, some parts of the restaurant were saved. A group called the Fraternal Order of Moai was formed to keep its history alive. They also preserve items from the restaurant. Today, a company called Kahiki Foods makes frozen meals. It is based in Gahanna, a nearby town.
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What Made the Kahiki Special?
The Kahiki was a huge restaurant with a unique theme. It was open from 1961 until 2000. It was built when tiki culture was at its most popular.
The restaurant was located in a suburb of Columbus. It was near other shops and fast-food places. The Kahiki had parking lots on both sides for its many visitors.
Fun Drinks and Famous Guests
The Kahiki was famous for its special drinks. Some names were Malayan Mist, Blue Hurricane, and Jungle Fever. The most famous was the "Mystery Drink."
This drink came in a big bowl with a "smoking volcano" in the middle. It was meant for four people and had lots of rum and brandy. A special server called the "Mystery Girl" brought it to your table. She would dance the drink over after a gong was hit!
Guests also received fresh orchid leis, which are flower necklaces. These leis were flown in from Hawaii several times a week.
Many famous people visited the Kahiki. These included Zsa Zsa Gábor, Bob Hope, and Andy Williams.
Amazing Design and Architecture
The Kahiki cost $1 million to build. It was designed by Ralph Sounik and Ned Eller. The main building was shaped like a giant A-frame.
Its roof looked like a huge ship or a war canoe. The roof tiles were red, white, and black. The roof also had cool fish designs and a pelican. The entrance had colorful painted panels.
Inside, the Kahiki was like a rainforest. It had fake trees, aquariums, and thatch huts. There were also fountains, gongs, and drums. A huge stone Moai fireplace was a main feature. Two large Moai statues with flaming heads stood at the entrance.
History of the Kahiki
The Kahiki restaurant started when tiki culture was booming. Its owners were Bill Sapp and Lee Henry. They used to run a bar nearby called the Grass Shack.
That bar was popular with soldiers who had fought in World War II. It burned down, which led them to create the Kahiki Supper Club.
In 1957, Sapp and Henry began planning the new restaurant. They traveled to the South Pacific to get ideas and artifacts. They also visited other tiki restaurants in the U.S. The Kahiki was built from 1960 to 1961.
It opened its doors in February 1961. Sapp and Henry sold the restaurant in 1978 to Mitch Boich. Michael Tsao later became a partner. Tsao bought out his partner in 1988.
In 1995, the company started making frozen meals. They built a small factory behind the restaurant for this.
In 1997, the restaurant was listed as a historic place. It was the only tiki restaurant left in Ohio. It also was the last supper club in Columbus.
The Kahiki closed on August 26, 2000. It had lost a lot of business. The building was sold to Walgreens and torn down. A Walgreens store was built in its place.
Workers saved some parts of the restaurant during demolition. This included the large fireplace. The restaurant's 110 employees moved to the food manufacturing plant. That plant later moved to Gahanna.
Michael Tsao, the owner, hoped to move the Kahiki to a new spot. But he focused on the food business. He sadly passed away in 2005.
Kahiki's Legacy
The Fraternal Order of Moai was started in 2005. Its goal is to save the history and items from the Kahiki. It is a social club with chapters across the country.
Many websites and online groups also remember the Kahiki. Books and poems have even been written about it.
From 2006 to 2008, former Kahiki workers opened a restaurant called Tropical Bistro. Another bar, the Grass Skirt Tiki Room, was open from 2012 to 2019. It had "George the Monkey," a fountain from the original Kahiki.
Kahiki Foods is still in business today. It was once a small part of the restaurant. Now, it makes frozen meals sold all over the country. The company is based in Gahanna. A bigger company bought it in 2007, but the Gahanna factory is still used.
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