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Trader Vic and the Copycats |
Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3916
From: Santa Barbara, CA
|  Posted: 2010-10-06 6:04 pm Permalink
I know, you were probably thinking - What a great name for a band, but why is this thread listed in Collecting Tiki instead of Tiki Music?
In honor of the 10th anniversary of the Book of Tiki, I thought I would expand on a fun little topic that Sven included on page 94 of the BOT - the rash of copycat Trader names that sprung up from the success of the Trader Vic's empire.
Here the list of copycats that I have compiled so far.
Trader Dick's - Sparks, NV
Trader Frank's - Tiki Gardens, Indian Rocks Beach, FL
Trad'r Sam - San Francisco, CA
Trader Nick's - Pismo Beach, CA
Trader Eng's - Various Locations
Trader Syd - Luau Restaurant, Miami, FL
Trader Vince - Niagara Falls, Canada
Trader Mort's - San Diego, CA
Trader Dick's (Number 2) - Topeka, Kansas
Trader John's - Biloxi, MS
Trader Jake's - Elmira, NY
Trader Ade's - Guam
Trader Royal, Alamo, CA
Trader Jack's - Oklahoma City, OK
Added
Trader Bill's - Las Vegas, NV
Trader Pang's - Hilo Hattie's Mythical Tiki Bar Mug
Trader Joe's Trade Winds - Inglewood, CA
Trader Vic's Used Cars - Los Angeles
Trader Bob's - Hayward, CA
Trader Ku's - Birmingham, Alabama
Now, on to the pics.
Trader Dick's.
Probably the most well known of the Trader knock-offs, named after the owner Dick Graves.
Trader Frank's
The name of the restaurant located at Tiki Gardens, named after the owner Frank Byars.
Trad’r Sam
The first of the copycats having opened in the early 1940s.
Trader Nick's
One of my favorites, located not to far from my hometown of Santa Barbara.
Trader Eng's
Various locations in the south.
Trader Syd - Luau Restaurant, Miami, FL
Trader Syd was from the Luau Restaurant located in Miami.
Pa'akiki posted an article with a photo.
and he added his name to the bottom of this drink menu.
Trader Vince
Only info on this one is the matchbook posted by Uncle Trav that pops up now and again.
Trader Mort's - San Diego, CA
The original Tiki liquor store near Shelter Island in San Diego. Still going strong.
Trader Dick's (Number 2)
A matchbook from another odd Trader Dick's located in Kansas City. A reciprocal private club?
Trader John's
Postcard from Biloxi, the matchbook from Trader John's is in the BOT.
Trader Ade's in Guam, matchbook from Mimi Payne's website.
Trader Jake's Polynesian Room
Looks like an Irish version of the Trader copycats brought to you by the Oleary's.
Trader Royal
Again, just the matchbook to go on for this mystery place in Alamo, CA.
Trader Jack's
Postcard from another Trader Jack‘s tropical fruit juice stand at the Hawaiian Village located at the Windsor Hills Mall in Oklahoma City.
Victor Bergeron must have looked down on all of this Tom foolery and thought:
Ah, it's good to be King.
Anybody got any others? (Note - I'm skipping Trader Joe's on this one).
DC
[ This Message was edited by: Dustycajun 2010-10-17 09:32 ]
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leleliz
Grand Member (first year) 
Joined: Sep 02, 2008
Posts: 1981
From: NorCal
| Posted: 2010-10-06 6:13 pm Permalink
I like this topic DC and as always your visual contributions are much appreciated.
Always been a fan of Trader Mort's myself...but mostly for the name.
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JOHN-O
Grand Member (first year)
Joined: May 16, 2008
Posts: 2450
From: Dogtown, USA
| Posted: 2010-10-06 6:17 pm Permalink
How about Trader Bill's in Downtown Las Vegas (still operational !!)
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10556
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2010-10-06 10:28 pm Permalink
Great post, DC, quite a few here I have never seen. We shan't forget this guy:
Also, it is worth noting that a lot the bay area poly pop places took up with the "double name" tradition that Trader Vic started:
Skipper Kent's, Tiburon Tommy's and Tiki Bob's
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SuperEight
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Oct 16, 2004
Posts: 261
From: Palo Alto
| Posted: 2010-10-06 10:49 pm Permalink
Hey lets show a little respect to everyone's favorite: Trader Pang (you remember, the fake Tiki Bar name used by Hilo Hattie's on their Moai mugs).
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SuperEight
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Oct 16, 2004
Posts: 261
From: Palo Alto
| Posted: 2010-10-06 10:56 pm Permalink
Actually, even worse than the non existent Trader Pang is this joker who is the most shameless copycat: Trader Vic, Master of Wall Street. What a dick:
http://books.google.com/books?id=y9lHXmbEfWIC&printsec=frontcover&dq=victor+sperandeo&source=bl&ots=eBIB7kei6F&sig=h6r671P-fczBf9WoY-Zf_gAqy1M&hl=en&ei=pmCtTLSuK5WgnQecm5XhDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CC4Q6AEwBA#v=onepage&q&f=false
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arriano
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 13, 2006
Posts: 1121
From: Birdland - San Diego
| Posted: 2010-10-07 08:52 am Permalink
While not a tiki restaurant or bar (then again neither is Trader Mort's), don't forget the obvious:
http://www.traderjoes.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trader_Joe's
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"I am Lono!" -- Hale Ka'a Tiki Lounge
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Sabu The Coconut Boy
Grand Member (8 years) 
Joined: Aug 20, 2002
Posts: 2784
From: Carson, California
| Posted: 2010-10-07 11:03 am Permalink
They were pretenders!
Here's the original Trader Joe's, in Inglewood, CA in the 1940s:
Nice post, DC! I think you have many more than I do. I'll have to search my archives to see if I've got any others you haven't already mentioned.
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Aquatic Safarinaut
Grand Member (first year)
Joined: Sep 06, 2008
Posts: 167
From: Valley of The Joe
| Posted: 2010-10-07 11:37 am Permalink
Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe Trad'r Sam opened in the 30's...before Trader Vic's...
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3916
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2010-10-07 12:02 pm Permalink
Thanks to all for adding some more locations. Will update the list as more come in.
Quote:
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On 2010-10-07 11:37, Aquatic Safarinaut wrote:
Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe Trad'r Sam opened in the 30's...before Trader Vic's...
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Aquatic,
I had that same question, so I did a little research. The original Trader Vic's officially transitioned from Hinky Dinks in 1936. An article I found online indicated that Trad'r Sam opened after that. So, I think we can still consider it a copycat.
DC
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Aquatic Safarinaut
Grand Member (first year)
Joined: Sep 06, 2008
Posts: 167
From: Valley of The Joe
| Posted: 2010-10-07 12:15 pm Permalink
Learn something new on TC everyday! =)
Thanks
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3916
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2010-10-07 5:53 pm Permalink
OK, here is another Trader Vic's copycat. Except this time, it's Trader Vic's doing the copying!
Saw this postcard on ebay announcing Trader Vic's south seas foods since 1934. Trouble is they swiped the hula girl pose from the Dobb's House Luau postcards and menus.
First time I can think of Trader Vic's using a logo from another restaurant.
DC
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Sabu The Coconut Boy
Grand Member (8 years)
Joined: Aug 20, 2002
Posts: 2784
From: Carson, California
| Posted: 2010-10-07 6:54 pm Permalink
DC - regarding Trader Vic appropriating other images - I have a future post I'll add on about the true source of the Trader Vic Menehune.
However, in the meantime, here is another one: Trader Bob's in Hayward, CA. These ads are from 1959-1960
 
 
 
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[ This Message was edited by: Sabu The Coconut Boy 2010-10-07 18:54 ]
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10556
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2010-10-07 8:27 pm Permalink
Wow, Bob sure was a Trader, tradin' in all styles: A Calypso band clad in Hawaiian threads a la Martin Denny to accompany your island-style charbroiled steak in a Gay 90s pop spot (meaning the 1890s, I am sure), with a zippy drink. Hey, did they have Zippy cartoons back then!?
DC, that Vic's postcard is a recent one, the Dobbs House wahine was probably swiped from the BOT.
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Tiki Trav
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Sep 25, 2006
Posts: 631
From: NSW Central Coast, Australia
| Posted: 2010-10-08 07:03 am Permalink
Trader Vic's is a surfwear outlet store in NSW Australia....bastards
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