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Castaway, Stockton, CA (restaurant) |
abstractiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 29, 2009
Posts: 582
From: Lodi, CA
|  Posted: 2009-10-17 9:37 pm Permalink
Name:Castaway
Type:restaurant
Street:321 W. Weber Ave
City:Stockton
State:CA
Zip:
country:USA
Phone:466-0104
Status:defunct
Description:
Restuarant/######## Lounge, Built in 1973 and demolished in the early 1980's,
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abstractiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 29, 2009
Posts: 582
From: Lodi, CA
| Posted: 2009-10-17 10:32 pm Permalink
While on Tiki safari in Stockton this summer, I came across a man who owned this cool MCM place.
MCM Home attached to small apartment complex
This guy told me about a Polynesian restaurant on the downtown waterfront called The Castaway. A few weeks later I found this phone book add at the library.
1980 Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Co.
Then I went back to the library a couple days later and found this Polk City Directory add.
1978
Earlier this month I managed to find these old newspaper pics.
1973 construction
1973 manager showing off some Polynesian decorations
1973 just after opening
1975 New Manager
This restaurant was owned by the Specialty Restaurant Corp. This Co. has two other Castaway restaurants in operation today. One is located in Burbank CA, the other is in San Bernardino CA. There may be others. It cost $500,000 to build in 1973.
The Castaway advertised an Aloha luncheon from 11:30am to 4pm and every Wednesday was Luau night.
The Stockton Castaway was demolished in the early 1980's and is now a parking lot.
Happy Hunting!
Abstractiki
[ This Message was edited by: abstractiki 2009-10-17 22:35 ]
[ This Message was edited by: abstractiki 2009-10-17 22:36 ]
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3925
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2009-10-18 08:42 am Permalink
Great research as usual Abstractiki.
Here is a postcard I have from the Castway in San Mateo.
DC
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3925
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2009-10-19 6:34 pm Permalink
Abstractiki,
I have to thank you for this post. I used to take the Greydog bus from San Jose to Stockton in the summer to see my dad who lived at the Lost Isles Marina in the Delta (just down from the Tiki Lagoon Resort). I would walk over to the Castaway Restaurant and he would bring his boat down and pick me up at the dock. I remember having lunches there. One of my first ever Poly Pop experiences as a young lad.
Here is the write up from my dad's book on the Castaway.
DC
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abstractiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 29, 2009
Posts: 582
From: Lodi, CA
| Posted: 2009-10-19 7:17 pm Permalink
Wow! you're welcome Dusty, thanks for the story and book info. Me and my friends used to go to Lost Isle with my friends dad in his day-cruiser, 1979. They had an island with a cabin on light 19 right down the channel from Lost Isle. My family now is now part owner of that Island, so i go by there several times a year. They closed lost Isle permanently early this year. I never remember seeing any tikis there but it would be a great place for one. 
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Or Got Rum?
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 29, 2009
Posts: 289
From: Wisconsin
| Posted: 2009-10-19 8:56 pm Permalink
DC, Great memories and postcard....Castaway cards are far and few between. Abstactiki, Super job on more of your tenacious digging. I was the GM of the Castaway in Troy, New York on the mighty Hudson, before Specialty leased it about 16+ years ago and then it closed after a few more years. All the interior was sh#tcanned...I wish I was around there then and knew was going to happen. It then became Casey's, Fresno's Mexican, and then vacant. It is supposed to be resurrected as a Dinosaur BBQ soon . Those places (as all of the Specialty Theme Restaurants-94th Aero Squadron etc.) were an operations nightmare. Included is a partial shot of the Menu cover, a business card and a photo of when the Hudson came within a foot of flooding the dining rooms. I have some more stuff around "somewhere", I just need to find it. Thanks for the memories...oh the stories....OGR
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thejab
Grand Member (first year) 
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 2984
From: Forbidden Island, CA
| Posted: 2009-10-20 5:26 pm Permalink
Quote:
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1973 just after opening
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Remember the term "fern bar"? That looks like a fine example of Poly pop mixed with fern bar. In San Diego we had Lehr's Greenhouse, the ultimate fern bar.
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thejab
Grand Member (first year)
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 2984
From: Forbidden Island, CA
| Posted: 2009-10-20 5:28 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2009-10-19 20:56, Or Got Rum? wrote:Those places (as all of the Specialty Theme Restaurants-94th Aero Squadron etc.) were an operations nightmare.
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There is a 94th Aero Squadron still open in the San Fernando Valley.
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Polynesiac
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 29, 2004
Posts: 2022
From: San Pedro, CA
| Posted: 2009-10-20 5:36 pm Permalink
Great post and great research. Those newspaper images are fantastic and personal stories are priceless. Thanks for sharing.
Here's a link to the San Mateo Castaway thread in locating tiki with some outstanding urban archaeology.
The specialty restaurant group at one time operated a ton of themed restaurants (including the reef in LB, port's o' call in San Pedro, the proud bird, etc), here's a link to the restaurants they manage today (including 2 Castaways!) http://www.specialtyrestaurants.com/restaurants.html
_________________
Polynesiac - putting the "F" back in "ART"
[ This Message was edited by: Polynesiac 2009-10-20 17:37 ]
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abstractiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 29, 2009
Posts: 582
From: Lodi, CA
| Posted: 2009-10-22 8:55 pm Permalink
Thanks OGR, Jab & Polynesiac! I don't remember "Fern Bars" but I do remember in 73 everyone seamed to have hanging plants in their homes!
The San Mateo Castaway Expedition thread is one of my favorites. I was planing my own expedition out there and found out that it has now been demolished and all debris removed.
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abstractiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 29, 2009
Posts: 582
From: Lodi, CA
| Posted: 2009-11-04 9:01 pm Permalink
Here are two black and white aerial photographs of the Stockton Castaway Restaurant. I found these at the Bank of Stockton archives. I took the other one last week. It shows approximately where the Castaway building was located.
Note: Hotel Stockton in the background of the last two pictures.
[ This Message was edited by: abstractiki 2009-11-04 21:03 ]
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abstractiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 29, 2009
Posts: 582
From: Lodi, CA
| Posted: 2009-11-16 10:30 am Permalink
At the Lodi City Library I found a 1979 "Guide To Stockton" with this report on the Castaway.
1979
I also found that at some point the Castaway was turned into the "Waterfront Cafe". This report was in Hal Schell's (Dustycajun's late father) 1995 book "Cruising California's Delta".
1995
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10562
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2009-11-18 09:37 am Permalink
Here is a piece of paper ephemera that shows that all these places were part of the Tallichet restaurant group:
I wonder how many CASTAWAY restaurants they had. They were not affiliated with the CASTAWAYS in Miami and Las Vegas, but his one is obviously (by comparing the logo) one of theirs. And I wonder if the Reef was, too, though the logos don't match.
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abstractiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 29, 2009
Posts: 582
From: Lodi, CA
| Posted: 2009-11-18 5:30 pm Permalink
Thanks for the info Pop!
Yea! looks like these were all connected, check out this news report:
Breaking News: Tallichet, founder of Specialty Restaurants, dies at 84
ANAHEIM, Calif. (Nov. 2, 2007) Industry pioneer David Tallichet, the founder of multiconcept operator Specialty Restaurants Corp., died Oct. 31 after a battle with cancer. He was 84.
A former World War II pilot who maintained a lifelong fascination with aviation, Tallichet launched his career in the restaurant industry in 1958 with the opening of The Reef in Long Beach, Calif., a waterfront restaurant that remains in the company's portfolio.
Specialty Restaurants, based in Anaheim, now includes 24 restaurants, including such brands as Baby Doe's, the 100th Bomb Group and Castaway. Most are either aviation-themed or known for their prime waterfront or hilltop locations.
Even after he retired, Tallichet remained involved in the company until his death. He is survived by four children, including John Tallichet, chairman of Specialty Restaurants, and Bill Tallichet, who is general manager of The Reef.
Here is Specialties website:
http://www.specialtyrestaurants.com/index.html
Quote:
| Bigbro wrote- "I wonder if the Reef was, too, though the logos don't match." |
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Bigbro, were you refering to the Reef in Stockton?
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10562
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2009-11-18 6:24 pm Permalink
Yes.
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