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Tiki Restaurants - Vintage Drink Girls |
Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3925
From: Santa Barbara, CA
|  Posted: 2008-04-10 6:09 pm Permalink
After getting so-so service from my waitress at the local tiki restaurant here in town, I thought it would be fun to put together a postcard series showing waitresses serving tropical drinks from vintage tiki bars and restaurants back when service meant something.
We'll start with the original: The Mai Kai Mystery Drink Girl
Then the "copycat" Kahiki Mystery Drink Girl
This in one of my favorites - now that's how to serve a drink!
From the Samoan Restaurant in Cocoa Beach, Florida
Hawaiian Punch Village from Marineland in Ohio
These are from the Bali Hai in San Diego - you can see Mr. Bali Hai on the tray.
And from the Tahiti Restaurant in Quebec. Now how come she has the huge tiki bowl and he's got the little mug? That' my kind of date!
From the Tonga Room in San Francisco - Why is the sea captain so grumpy? Beautiful woman, tikis and big drink.
A lovely Hawaiian Girl serving tropical drinks - Is she checking that one to make sure its strong enough?
The Kalua Room in Seattle Check out the menu and the mugs on the table!
You just don't get service like that anymore!
Enjoy
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HOUSE OF KU
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 15, 2005
Posts: 537
From: TIKILAND, USA
| Posted: 2008-04-10 6:35 pm Permalink
Awesome picts! Mahalo for showing how it used to be. Love the decor and the history lesson.
Freddie 
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Tipsy McStagger
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 21, 2004
Posts: 3388
From: HELL
| Posted: 2008-04-10 6:55 pm Permalink
..any other info on the samoan restaurant in cocoa beach?? what street was it located on?..any other pics??
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harro
Grand Member (first year) 
Joined: Sep 05, 2005
Posts: 672
From: Australia / Argentina
| Posted: 2008-04-10 7:15 pm Permalink
brilliant post DJ!!
excellent topic and fine examples shown here.
but i can't help but think that that young lass is going to have a frothy moustache the way she's sipping that drink? or is she hiding behind it??
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Slacks Ferret
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Oct 02, 2003
Posts: 1174
From: Calgary
| Posted: 2008-04-10 7:46 pm Permalink
Excellent 35th post!
Seriously, I haven't seen many of these before. Fun topic. Thanks!
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Bora Boris
Mr. Unreasonable
Joined: Mar 25, 2005
Posts: 2401
From: Boogie Wonderland
| Posted: 2008-04-10 7:53 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2008-04-10 18:09, Dustycajun wrote:
From the Tonga Room in San Francisco - Why is the sea captain so grumpy? Beautiful woman, tikis and big drink.
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Good question, the answer is everyone in the Tonga Room is grumpy. 
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10562
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2008-04-10 7:57 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2008-04-10 19:15, harro wrote:
...but i can't help but think that that young lass is going to have a frothy moustache the way she's sipping that drink? or is she hiding behind it??
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That's Elithe Aguilar, isn't it?:
http://www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral/bb/viewtopic.php?topic=5576&forum=1&start=0
The drink presentation girl is a great concept, not only for postcards, there are numerous graphic depictions (as in rendered!) of her, too. The Samoa postcard is a killer, never seen it, and never heard of the place before! The menu on the table looks great, close up please! And of the entrance, perhaps? 
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naugatiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 02, 2004
Posts: 806
From: Port Angeles, Wa
| Posted: 2008-04-10 8:44 pm Permalink
And while we're on the subject, does anyone have any footage, descriptions, or pictures of these wahines doing drink rituals that go with the libations? I know Mai Kai has the mystery drink that comes with a ceremony and I believe The Kahiki had one too. I sort of have a Kahiki fantasy of the lights going dim and smoke billowing threw the air while the drink is held up to the fire place and it’s red eyes flashing and an exotic soundtrack.
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3925
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2008-04-10 10:38 pm Permalink
I will post some more close up shots of the Samoa restaurant and the back of the card for those of you with interest in that one.
Bigbro,
I have always thought that the Hawaiian girl with the drink was Elithe Aguilar or "Miss Kauai". I have her other postcards and it has to be her, though a little hard to tell behind the frosty mug.
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3925
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2008-04-10 10:46 pm Permalink
I forgot to include this one of the Mai Kai waitress, courtesy of Swanky at Swankpad.
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Koolau
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Sep 23, 2006
Posts: 323
From: Oahu, Hawaii
| Posted: 2008-04-11 12:25 am Permalink
impossible to be sure, but I don't think that's Elithe Aguilar. The eyebrow curve, pronounced shoulder blades, and other charmingly larger attributes are clear differences. Also, that post card has a real 50's vibe, and Elithe wasn't Miss Kauai until 1964.
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Swanky
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 03, 2002
Posts: 4807
From: Hapa Haole Hideaway, TN
| Posted: 2008-04-11 06:16 am Permalink
Quote:
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On 2008-04-10 22:46, Dustycajun wrote:
I forgot to include this one of the Mai Kai waitress, courtesy of Swanky at Swankpad.
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This is Annie. We are trying to figure out if she is the girl in the Mystery Girl postcard. Also trying to get her to Hukilau. She gave me the name of the man who made the Mystery Drink movie, which she starred in. She had the movie, but her kids wore it out. It came with a viewer and was sold in the gift shop. He is supposedly still in the Lauderdale area. No luck so far.
I love the story of her getting hired. She was a model for wigs and Bob Thornton got a bunch of pictures from them and said "I'll take all these girls." They all showed up and it was just Annie! She says she wore so many wigs she has trouble figuring out who is her in the old pictures.
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Haole'akamai
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 07, 2005
Posts: 2269
From: The Polynesian Port of NOLA
| Posted: 2008-04-11 09:20 am Permalink
That, is a great story.
So by vintage, you mean actually back in the day, yeah?
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"If you can't be a good example -- then you'll just have to be a horrible warning."
-Catherine Aird
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GatorRob
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 20, 2004
Posts: 1766
From: 3 hrs 33 mins to paradise
| Posted: 2008-04-11 10:35 am Permalink
Great idea for a thread! And I would love to see more on the Samoan Restaurant in Cocoa Beach. Haven't heard of it before.
Swanky - Annie's also the redhead from the (I think) 1960 calendar, right? If so, I didn't realize that was the same person!
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10562
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2008-04-11 10:41 am Permalink
Quote:
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On 2008-04-11 09:20, Haole'akamai wrote:
That, is a great story.
So by vintage, you mean actually back in the day, yeah?
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Is your question meant in regards to the movie? if so, yes. BOT, page 138:
[ This Message was edited by: bigbrotiki 2008-04-11 10:44 ]
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