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Waikiki Wally's New York, NY, New York, NY (restaurant) |
donhonyc
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 13, 2003
Posts: 1173
From: The Quiet EAST Village
|  Posted: 2008-02-03 2:44 pm Permalink
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Trader Vic's is looking to get back into the NYC market. It's just a matter of time and finding the right location.
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Wow! How do you know that? If that happened it would be really cool. It'd be great if it was a whole restaurant and not just a lounge, but hell...I'll take the lounge by itself too!! Wherever they choose to set up shop I would hope they avoid either the Meatpacking District or Soho. If they want to go classic they should set up in Times Square. That would be pretty cool, but real estate up there is probably through the roof. Either way if they returned to NYC I'd be there in a minute. Damn! Maybe they can dust off some of the old furnishings from the Plaza Hotel or Savoy Hilton locations, if that stuff even exists anymore (doubt it).
[ This Message was edited by: donhonyc 2008-02-03 14:46 ]
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liabungalo
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Sep 02, 2003
Posts: 201
From: Bloomfield, NJ
| Posted: 2008-12-16 1:41 pm Permalink
After heading to Wallys a few weeks back and finding it closed on a Monday night (they list the place open at 6pm), I decided to give the bar a cool. I got some tool on the phone telling me that they barely open the place any more and are planning on closing it very soon. He said that it is open on weekends. Anyone that has yet to visit Wally's might want to get over there ASAP.
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donhonyc
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 13, 2003
Posts: 1173
From: The Quiet EAST Village
| Posted: 2008-12-17 5:18 pm Permalink
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On 2008-12-16 13:41, liabungalo wrote:
After heading to Wallys a few weeks back and finding it closed on a Monday night (they list the place open at 6pm), I decided to give the bar a cool. I got some tool on the phone telling me that they barely open the place any more and are planning on closing it very soon. He said that it is open on weekends. Anyone that has yet to visit Wally's might want to get over there ASAP.
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No big surprise here. The reason why this place is going down the tubes is that from the beginning their lack of quality was pretty evident. Yeah, they did a fairly OK job with the interior design, but both the food and drinks were way sub-par. In the five or six years they have been around, I only found myself going there once for dinner, and then another time later on for drinks. I thought it sucked the first time, but decided to give it another try. Still sucked. Stand out memory: almost all of the Tiki mugs they served drinks in were chipped or cracked. The drinks themselves weren't special either. When this place finally closes, there will probably be some other observations: A) Tiki isn't that big a deal in NYC and/or B) it was because of the economy. Maybe the latter has contributed to where they're at now. But this place was an under-executed venture from the start. It'd be nice if we had some motivated individuals here in NYC with some financial capital to start something like you guys have out west like Frankie's in Vegas or Forbidden Island in Alameda, CA. If I had the investment $$$ I'd give it a go myself!
[ This Message was edited by: donhonyc 2008-12-17 20:14 ]
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 11594
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2008-12-18 10:14 am Permalink
Why don't you tell us how you REALLY feel about the place !!? 
Too bad, it was one of the first nouvelle Tiki places inspired by the BOT.
[ This Message was edited by: bigbrotiki 2008-12-18 14:20 ]
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donhonyc
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 13, 2003
Posts: 1173
From: The Quiet EAST Village
| Posted: 2008-12-18 9:29 pm Permalink
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On 2008-12-18 10:14, bigbrotiki wrote:
Why don't you tell us how you REALLY feel about the place !!?
Too bad, it was one of the first nouvelle Tiki places inspired by the BOT.
[ This Message was edited by: bigbrotiki 2008-12-18 14:20 ]
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Yeah, it is too bad. I'm willing to support anybody who begins a Tiki operation here in NYC, but these guys didn't really have their act together. It's easy for me to be an armchair Tikiphile and criticize these guys, but unfortunately in this case it's true. Had you ever made it over there?.
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sneakyjack
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 25, 2004
Posts: 1129
From: NYC Area
| Posted: 2008-12-19 1:45 pm Permalink
Anyone know how to start a Trader Vics Franchise - seems like NYC needs it back. I doubt its a cheap maneuver and nothing easy in the NYC area. BUTT...
Wallys was "sorta alright" for a bit, but when they gut it - I'm hoping I can get in on the goods they toss out.
DUmpster dive
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BettyBleu
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 20, 2003
Posts: 225
From: Island Oasis Backyard (So Cal)
| Posted: 2008-12-19 4:44 pm Permalink
Granted the drinks were strong and plentiful the last few times I was at Wally's but I am pretty sure I remember it being connected to two other bars - a Chinese drag revue club and a rocker bar - all owned by the same guy (and all themed bars.) Its a big facility and all interconnected (walk through the back door and you're in the other bar.) Not really a point to all this except to say that its since its not just one bar, its probably not just an easy turnover (unless the owner re-themes it, which would be a pity.)
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donhonyc
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 13, 2003
Posts: 1173
From: The Quiet EAST Village
| Posted: 2008-12-20 10:39 am Permalink
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On 2008-12-19 13:45, sneakyjack wrote:
Anyone know how to start a Trader Vics Franchise - seems like NYC needs it back. I doubt its a cheap maneuver and nothing easy in the NYC area.
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Totally agree. Vic's has been absent from New York for almost 20 years now. They were here for around 30 years before they vanished, um...I mean 'forced out' by rich guy at large and arbiter of 'good taste', Donald Trump. The TV lounge idea would probably do well here. There are enough upscale hotels around here that I'm sure would benefit from just having the bar only. You'd think since they have establishments in major cities around the world, they would have one in NYC. In this economy though, probably ain't gonna happen real soon.
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 5093
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2012-05-22 12:57 pm Permalink
It came, it went, it left behind a few artifacts.
I have managed to find a few advertising cards with some great Wahine graphics that also included this rum-glazed Sea Captain figure.
And the drink menu
The Cover
The story.
The drinks.
Always sad to see them go.
DC
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sneakyjack
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 25, 2004
Posts: 1129
From: NYC Area
| Posted: 2012-11-17 12:50 pm Permalink
I know its an old thread. I just picked up the Canoe from the ceiling from here.
http://critiki.com/pictures/?loc_id=118#/9
Not much left except a few dirty bamboo like chairs.
And the waterfall insert rock is in the roof 3 stories up weight - over 100 lbs.
http://critiki.com/pictures/?loc_id=118#/1
http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/for/3413430035.html
Canoe missing "outrigger arms" -
still cool.
[ This Message was edited by: sneakyjack 2013-06-24 09:30 ]
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AceExplorer
Grand Member (7 years) 
Joined: Apr 03, 2008
Posts: 2400
From: Deep in the Jacksonville Florida jungle.
| Posted: 2016-04-21 04:34 am Permalink
The status of this place needs to be changed to "defunct."
Too bad it didn't survive. From what I've been reading, the owners just didn't have the ability to put out a consistently quality experience.
I found this image out on the web -- looks like someone embellished one of Wally's original images/graphics.
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