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I never experienced the Chin Tiki [[I'm assuming it was an Asian restaurant) while it was a going concern. I think I walked past it once Downtown, and although the famous signage out the front was gone, I'm pretty sure it was the Chin Tiki. Does anyone know the history, and perhaps the planned future, of this old Detroit landmark? I know it showed up in the Eminem "8 Mile" movie as a night club.
It was demolished.
We went there [[a specific class after some academic achievement) for a social event once when I was in high school. It was the thing to do! Filled with excitement to get away from lunch-room food!
I have two bricks from the building in my garage.Quote:
Originally Posted by southen
If you're interested, check out Chin's in Livonia, their original restaurant. Food is ok, kitsch is outstanding.
https://www.critiki.com/location/chi...ey-livonia-86/
^^^ Awesome kitsch quotient! I'd go just to drink tea and look about! As amusing as a amusement park fun house! Brings back Chin Tiki moments!
Chin Tiki was a Polynesian/Chinese restaurant. In the 60's it was a prom night favorite. Just before it closed they turned the upstairs into an after hours weekend disco that stayed open until 5 am.
I found this....
https://www.critiki.com/location/chin-tiki-detroit-47/
The Chin Tiki was indeed pretty crazy, but for sheer over-the-top faux-exotica nothing in Detroit topped the Mauna Loa on Grand Blvd. The place was built at great expense with some seed money from some GM execs, and featured waterfalls, flaming torches, steaming volcanoes, and huge fake palm trees - and that was just in the front garden. The tiki bar trend had come to Detroit a little late perhaps, but with the success of the Trader Vic's in the Statler Hilton, the time must've seemed right to do it up in a big way. However, the sumptuous Mauna Loa had the bad fortune to open in the fateful summer of 1967 [[interestingly, at almost the same time as Chin Tiki).
The gigantic palace was a huge money-loser from the start and lasted only about 2 years total. My dad, who was very disdainful of such places and preferred his "real" Chinese food without all the expensive add-on thrills from the quiet-as-a-tomb Gold Dragon on Cass, did take us to Mauna Loa once though, for a big event honoring my uncle for his feats as a spark plug salesman.
From my 8 year old perspective it was the most exciting place possible [[well, next to Bob-Lo). Waterfalls, lava spewing volcanoes, indoor bridges over flowing streams, intriguingly scary tiki sculptures literally everywhere, beating drums and 'hula' dancers twirling flaming batons, and then even more flames - right on the table! - with flaming sweet kid drinks in half a pineapple, flaming adult drinks in big crazy looking cups, and appetizer plates with flaming 'warmers' in the middle. And all that crazy sugar-glazed food. Oh, the glamorous exotica of it all just blew my little mind!
To what I'm sure was my dad's great annoyance, I begged and begged to go back there, and every time we passed the place in the car I would get very excited. I was crushed when the place closed without us ever returning there. But Dad did take us a few times to what I'm sure was the somewhat more reasonably priced Chin Tiki, and it was definitely fun in the same sort of cheesy way. Of course, it was also more sustainable, with better food and better value, without the vast building to support, and it hung on for more than a decade after it's more lavish competitor was gone. But it was really much more like a conventional Chinese-American restaurant wrapped in an exotica wrapper, and just didn't project the same level of full-out executive level fakey-Polynesian excitement as Mauna Loa.
There's precious little about the short-lived Mauna Loa out there, but here's a little background:
http://www.hourdetroit.com/Hour-Detr...auna-Loa-1967/
http://www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral/bb/viewtopic.php?topic=4786&forum=2
And a small bit on the Mauna Loa's designer, George Nakashima [[not the more famous furniture maker of the same name), who was also involved with Chin Tiki, with a couple more interior photos:
https://www.facebook.com/23969727641...976260/?type=3
http://tikiroom.com/img/35x477d6271.jpg
^^ Cool story
Chin Tiki was a Polynesian restaurant with a floor show. Polynesian/Hawaiian/Fijian food and drinks, plus hula dancers. Nice place.
And a cool picQuote:
Originally Posted by Cincinnati_Kid
It is special when you read the history through the eyes of those that expirenced it,thanks for that.
LOL, that was its 'future'. What was its past? Anyway, all joking aside, when was it demo'd? There is a building Downtown that looks really similar and is still there to this day. Thanks for the info.Quote:
Originally Posted by southen
I remember going to the Chin Tiki restaurant with my parents in the 60s. I was just a little kid then. My "drink" would be pineapple juice in a hollowed out pineapple with a little paper umbrella stuck in it. I don't really remember what I had to eat. Sweet & sour chicken stands out in my memories. I do remember the decor and being a kid, thought it was the greatest thing, being old enough to go a grown up restaurant! I was maybe 4, 5, or 6.
It was torn down in 2009. After the senior Mr. Chin died the family sold the building to the Ilitches. It was taken down as part of the Ilitch family quest to turn everything east of the Fox into a gravel surface parking lot moonscape for the ballpark, the theater, and now the arena too. The remaining building there is the old Moose Lodge that was adjacent to the Chin Tiki, which Ilitch owned but mysteriously did not flatten along with everything else in his path.Quote:
Originally Posted by night-timer
The reason that the Moose Lodge is still there is because Blair McGowan sold it to Ilitch with some kind of stipulation that it not be torn down.
The Ilitch's had another opportunity which they let slip by... to do something with that area, perhaps develop it into the beginnings of an entertainment district. But although the Moose Lodge is sitting empty surrounded by a sea of parking... they could have kept Chin Tiki mothballed since both Moose Lodge and Chin Tiki were west of Cass Ave., [[beyond a potential arena footprint).
Also the Ilitch's paid $3.25 million for nearby 2030 Grand River Building,an attractive [[and in good condition) 3 story building that was immediately bulldozed for their favorite development.... parking. Ironically I remember 3WC mentioning that this was a record price for downtown land that ended up as parking.
With the GAR Building now developed as entertainment, the loss of 2030 Grand River and Chin Tiki, means that the Moose Lodge is sitting in a parking wasteland with dim prospect of much going on there... in this decade at least.
View just north of the GAR, where 2030 Grand River Building used to be....
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.3352...8i6656!6m1!1e1
So much potential.... squandered.... :[[
The Mauna Loa was financed by Bank of the Commonwealth [[the first "major bank" taken over by the FDIC, which injected $35 million of capital - the largest such cash infusion at that time - and it was taken over by Chase Manhattan Bank; Commonwealth was owned by the Parson's group.)
The repayment of the Commonwealth loan was guaranteed by 53 movers and shakers in Detroit drawn from radio, TV, car biz etc. J.P. McCarthy was a large investor.
The borrower went into bankruptcy and instead of foreclosing on its mortgage, the bank sued all the guarantors, who were jointly and severally liable. The bank collected every dime of the loan plus interest.
The Mauna Loa served watered down drinks at then high prices, and overpriced food; one big seller were giant shrimp; the trouble is the shrimp were very small and dipped in batter several times before frying which made them look like gigantic blobs of dough in the rough shape of a shrimp.
The other food consisted of little meat or fish and huge amounts of syrupy glop and chunks of pineapple.
Despite all the chisseling on the quality of food, their food costs were over 20% of total costs, the kiss of death.
All of the mugs, glasses, dugout canoes and other kitchy decorations were made in a factory in CA and sold to "Polynesion" restaurants all over the country. Seen one, see 'em all.
An article on Chin Tiki:
http://www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral/...tiki%20detroit
The restaurant was owned by my grandfather's younger brother. My grandparents celebrated their 50th anniversary there. It was definitely kitschy
Have any pictures? I went there once. It was pretty cool for its times.Quote:
Originally Posted by Chungs
It was reprised as a set for 8 Mile. If that movie had been made now, it would be a good chance it would inspire someone would revive it.
That whole area is hot again. I have to believe the Chung's building is in play now that the Peterboro and Plato Beer Company are creating buzz and traffic across the street.
Strange, my folks never took me to Chinese restaurants in the 40s and 50s. My first experience with Chinese food was at my Aunt and Uncles 25th anniversary party at Carrie Lee's in Birmingham in 1956 when I was 17 years old. In fact, my folks never took us out to dinner. Occasionally on the road we would stop at a greasy spoon for lunch. A big treat was carry-out from Milroy's Fish and Chips.
Of course, now, with a Chinese wife, I eat a lot of oriental food.
I don't remember for sure when I was there, but I do remember who I was with. That means my visits took place from Apr of '68 to Oct 1969. I was impressed. That said, what does some young punk know. ; )
I suppose the WWII vets who served in the South Pacific were the reason for the popularity of these types of restaurants. [[Cantonese-American cuisine, however started much earlier.) The earliest reference I could find for Chin Tiki was 1966; here is an early ad [[from the Detroit Free Press), along with the one for Polynesian House....in Livonia!Attachment 33762
Chin's has had a restaurant on Plymouth road for a long time. I'm surprised to see they had a place a few miles north of there. The Polynesian House building is still there. It's empty now, but it used to be a barbecue place - Pick-a-Bone BBQ.