It’s always thrilling to see and hear about the artistic restoration projects at The Mai-Kai, from the hundreds of vintage lamps to the reimagination of the porte-cochère. But just as important are many behind-the-scenes infrastructure projects that are now coming to fruition at the historic South Florida restaurant.
Jump below: The Mai-Kai at Tiki-a-Go-Go, The Hukilau
* Latest refurbishment news | Update on permits, timeline
At the top of this list are the new back-of-house kitchen and bar, which both needed to be rebuilt following the October 2020 roof collapse that led to the closing and eventual sale of the 67-year-old landmark. While the design and decor are spectacular, The Mai-Kai is first and foremost a high-volume restaurant (and bar) that requires just as much TLC in areas guests may never see.
That’s why it’s exciting to report that new equipment is now being installed in both the kitchen and bar that were rebuilt in the old back-of-house areas that did not need to be gutted after the roof collapse. The footprint of the old kitchen will remain empty until Phase 2 of the $15 million restoration project, when it will be transformed into a bigger kitchen and an adjacent event center.
Manager Kern Mattei, who has overseen operations for the past three decades, was gracious enough to fill us in on the details when we spoke to him recently about progress on the site during the month of March. We also took some photos of the exterior spaces during a visit late in the month.
We’ll get into all the details in the updates section below, along with the contributions of creative director “Typhoon Tommy” Allsmiller and his team of artists. Unlike the old 1970s era back of house, the 2024 version will include not only state-of-the-art equipment, but also a lot of traditional Ma-Kai and Polynesian theming where appropriate.
The state of the kitchen and bar gives us hope that the current timeline for a grand opening during the summer months will remain stable. The wildcard factor remains the ambitious transformation of the 2.7-acre grounds, which we detailed in our previous story.
Progress was not easily visible across the vast expanse during March as the complex project’s many moving parts still have not coalesced. Permits are pending while various crews continue to work on their specific projects, Mattei said. We did spot some more cool detail work by Allsmiller’s crew, also discussed below.
Mattei and the artists will get a much-deserved break in early April, but it won’t be all play and no work at Tiki-a-Go-Go in Orlando. Check out the preview below for details on all their activities.
Recent coverage
* Exterior reimagination up next as $15 million Mai-Kai project plows ahead (February 2024)
* Renovations engulf entire property, reopening estimated for summer (January 2024)
Story archive: Full coverage of The Mai-Kai refurbishment
UPCOMING EVENTS: The Mai-Kai at Tiki-a-Go-Go and The Hukilau
While most guests eagerly await the grand opening this summer, those lucky enough to be attending two of the state’s major Tiki events will get exclusive info and access in the coming months.
First up is the sold-out Tiki-a-Go-Go, scheduled for April 5-7 in Orlando. The inaugural event leans heavily into symposiums featuring old-school Tiki, Florida and Disney topics. There will also be two days of live music and entertainment, vendors, guest Tiki bars, and more.
Previous coverage: Click here for our full preview
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We’re honored to be hosting two of the presentations featuring The Mai-Kai at the Caribe Royale Resort. Just announced: Mai-Kai manager Kern Mattei and public relations director Pia Dahlquist will both be attending and participating in events Friday and Saturday. Here’s the latest on how attendees can get a taste of The Mai-Kai, including some new details:
Friday, April 5 – 11 a.m. (60 minutes)
Return to Paradise: The Mai-Kai Rises Again
Don’t miss this exclusive panel discussion that explores the history, the renovation, and the future of South Florida’s beloved Polynesian palace. Get insights from the team directly involved with the three-year, multimillion-dollar refurbishment. Moderated by Jim “Hurricane” Hayward and featuring the following panelists:
- Kern Mattei – Born into The Mai-Kai family, the manager for the past three decades followed in the footsteps of his GM father, Kern Sr. During the current refurbishment, he oversees the day-to-day operations.
- Pia Dahlquist – The Mai-Kai’s director of sales and marketing since 1990 is a jack-of-all trades at the restaurant, flawlessly juggling multiple public-facing roles with enthusiasm and aplomb.
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“Typhoon Tommy” Allsmiller – A veteran theme park designer and now The Mai-Kai’s creative director, charged with guiding and implementing all the artistic elements of the restaurant’s restoration.
- Scott “Flounder” Scheidly – A Tiki revival artist known for his paintings, mug designs and other contemporary pieces has been a key member of The Mai-Kai design for more than a year.
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Jesse Muller – Marketing manager for landscape architecture and thematic design firm Perry-Becker Design, the firm entrusted with reimagining the vast outdoor spaces at The Mai-Kai.
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Sven Kirsten – An author and historian who has documented the Tiki revival since his seminal classic, The Book of Tiki, in 2003.
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Tim “Swanky” Glazner – Author of Mai-Kai: History and Mystery of the Iconic Tiki Restaurant and the upcoming Searching for Don the Beachcomber.
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Plus possible surprise guests!
Saturday, April 6 – 3 p.m. (60 minutes)
Mai-Kai Cocktails: Tiki History in a Glass
For more than 67 years, The Mai-Kai cocktail menu has remained frozen in time, a throwback to the golden age of tropical drinks. Jim “Hurricane” Hayward of The Atomic Grog blog traces the lineage of the classic cocktails through the years, from Don the Beachcomber to today. He’ll be joined by longtime manager Kern Mattei for an inside look at the lore and secrets that surround these delicious libations that we can once again enjoy when The Mai-Kai returns from its multimillion-dollar refurbishment. Here are just a few of the many highlights:
- Images and a chronology of the cocktail menus dating back to 1956, including the role of original mixologist Mariano Licudine, who brought his institutional knowledge from Don the Beachcomber in Chicago.
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Exclusive insights from Mattei, who has worked at The Mai-Kai since his youth, starting as a barback and bartender. His unique position makes him intimately familiar with the restaurant’s famous cocktails, their history and the secret recipes.
- A sneak preview of the upcoming new menu, including new artwork, mugs, and merchandise.
Last but not least, the Mattei family will be serving up Mai-Kai cocktails during the Saturday night festivities between 7 and 9:30 p.m. Say aloha to Kern, his wife Elke, and son Cheyne as you pick up your Barrel O’ Rum and Black Magic. Okole maluna!
If you’re looking for some classic Disney and Tiki to round out the Tiki-a-Go-Go weekend, Sunday features the annual Magical Tiki Meet Up at the Magic Kingdom and Polynesian Village Resort at Walt Disney World, hosted by Allsmiller and his wife Kari.
PREVIEW: Tiki-a-Go-Go looks to the past for a fresh take on the modern weekender
The new event launching April 5-7 in Orlando goes back to the roots of the Tiki revival with an emphasis on retro-themed symposiums, Florida and Disney in addition to live music, pop-up cocktail bars, vendors and much more.
The Hukilau plans for a return to The Mai-Kai in 2024
In two months, hordes of classic Polynesian Pop culture enthusiasts will again descend on the Sunshine State for The Hukilau, the East Coast’s longest-running Tiki weekender. The event started in Atlanta in 2002 but moved to the Fort Lauderdale area and The Mai-Kai in 2003, where it has remained. The 22nd edition is set for June 6-9.
Previous coverage: Click here for our full preview
The Hukilau has always had one or more hotels where its attendees (lovingly known as villagers) stay and most activities are located, but The Mai-Kai has always played a key role. The centerpiece is a full evening during which villagers take over the restaurant for two seatings of the Polynesian Islander Revue, the oldest continually-running authentic South Seas stage show in the United States (including Hawaii).
In 2024, villagers will once again step inside the hallowed halls for the first time since 2019, vows Richard Oneslager, who took over The Hukilau in 2018 and also is one of the key independent investors in The Mai-Kai’s new ownership group. Even if the restaurant is not yet open to the public, The Hukilau will be there by hook or by crook, Oneslager says.
“We’re going to be at The Mai-Kai,” he said last week as event tickets went on sale. At the minimum, The Hukilau will offer tours and previews of the renovations, he said. “If they’re open, then we’ll be there, whether it’s the dinner show or just The Molokai.”
Depending on what events will be held at The Mai-Kai, you can also expect activities featuring members the team at the host hotel, the oceanfront Beachcomber Resort & Club in Pompano Beach. Last year, Allsmiller hosted a symposium on the massive restoration project. There was also a reunion of past employees, including the sarong-clad servers from The Molokai bar.
Whatever transpires between now and June 6, you can be sure to get the latest news and updates on The Hukilau on The Atomic Grog, the event’s official blog.
PREVIEW: The Hukilau 2024 attracts bands, bars and VIPs from around the globe, returns to The Mai-Kai
Check out the lineup of headlining bands, special guest presenters and 18 guest bars attending the 22nd Tiki weekender in South Florida.
MARCH 2024: Kitchen and bar equipment installed, artistic and infrastructure work continues
Rebuilding The Mai-Kai’s kitchen and main service bar has been a long and tedious process since back-of-house renovations began in earnest last March. It was a daunting job that literally began from the ground up, starting with the old concrete floor being removed and a new one poured. [Past coverage]
The service bar is moving just north of its old location into a space formerly occupied by staff locker rooms. It will be roughly the same size as the old bar, designed and famously tended by Mariano Licudine. The kitchen and bar spaces that fell victim to the 2020 roof collapse were part of the 1970 expansion, so they were much in need of modernization. This multimillion-dollar renovation is allowing The Mai-Kai to do that, from all new electrical and plumbing systems to the latest bar stations, stoves and ovens.
Since the old kitchen space won’t be touched until Phase 2, the new facilities will occupy areas that were previously large staff offices and locker rooms. Due to this smaller space, the “provisional kitchen” will necessitate a smaller food menu during the Phase 1 reopening. The bar should be cranking on all cylinders, however, so a full cocktail menu is expected.
Note that this hidden back bar and main kitchen traditionally service the 400+ guests in the main showroom and surrounding dining rooms. The capacity of the kitchen will dictate how many of the non-showroom dining areas can be accommodated during the Phase 1 reopening.
The Molokai bar’s infrastructure – also hidden from view in the Don the Beachcomber tradition – is also getting an upgrade. This will include a small kitchen that will service the lounge (capacity 150) plus additional outdoor seating. The newly designed space under the porte-cochère will also have a small outdoor bar.
New equipment signals next step toward reopening
When we caught up with manager Kern Mattei in late March for an update on the progress of the renovations, we were happy to hear that both the main bar and kitchen have most of their equipment placed and ready to go. Most are just waiting for electric and gas hook-ups, he said.
This includes six new “combi ovens” that should help pick up the slack in the smaller kitchen. “They’re combination steamer, convection and regular oven, computerized so you can cook a prime rib at noon and by 4 o’clock drop the temperature to 125 so it’s ready to go when you’re open,” Mattei said. “It’s state-of-the-art stuff.”
Also being installed are new wok stations to handle the traditional Cantonese dishes. (The old Chinese brick oven will be out of commission until Phase 2, when it will be rebuilt in the new kitchen.)
The new equipment includes a standard three-compartment sink and compact dishwashing machine. “It’s like the new cars,” Mattei said. “It’s compact, but still has enough power.” Many stainless steel pieces are being custom fit for the space, he said.
A large ice machine made by Japanese company Hoshizaki will service both the kitchen and bar. The last major piece will be a walk-in cooler that will be installed outside in the old kitchen’s footprint.
Back bar will no longer be secret … or staid
The bartender workstations are all in place, Mattei said, along with plenty of new refrigeration units. As we’ve detailed in past coverage, the bar will be fully immersive with decor and design by Allsmiller that will rival any front-of-house bar. It was great to hear that the creative director and his team were concentrating their efforts on the bar during March.
“They’re making some progress” dressing up the bar face, adding carved wood and custom tiles, Mattei said. The bar top will get a glazed finish, similar to The Molokai. With the main equipment in place, Mattei said, they want to get all the design elements done. “Everything is here, so we want to get moving.”
There are five bartender stations, just like the old bar. But with the new design, there’s also one major change. A portal in the gift shop will allow guests to peek in on the head bartender facing the window. Views will be somewhat obscured, Allmiller told us, but he’s excited to have the formerly secret space seen by more guests beyond VIP tours.
“We’re pretty stoked about it,” Allsmiler said. The entire front of the bar was assembled by hand and features a mid-century modern design. He said they will later add special track lighting, plus custom-made hanging lamps. There will be one lamp with a spotlight over each bartender, plus others around the room to provide ambient lighting. Long gone is the industrial kitchen feel of the old bar. [See video]
Members of Allsmiller’s team are fellow Central Florida artist Scott “Flounder” Scheidly, plus South Florida’s Tom Fowner and Conrad Teheiura Itchener.
New restroom, Molokai bar infrastructure overhaul
Elsewhere in the back of house, the new staff lockers rooms are in the final stages of design work by Allsmiller. Fixtures have already arrived and are waiting to be installed, Mattei said. The new special needs restroom, accessible via the front of house, is getting special woodwork that will make it look similar to the nautical-themed men’s room, only “a little bit nicer,” Mattei said.
In The Mai-Kai Trading Post, new wood flooring is in place along with refurbished hanging lamps, Mattei said. They adjusted a lot of the lighting to make it softer and enhance the overall vibe, he said, adding: “We want to reimagine the whole gift shop.”
Custom shelves will be constructed to display all the merchandise. The ornate Asian theme of the room dates back to its days as the Bangkok dining room. The same decor, added during the 1970 expansion, can still be found in the women’s restroom.
The Molokai is close to getting its new bar and kitchen equipment, Mattei said, following the addition of a new floor and fire-resistant panels. They’re trying to keep some of the old touches, including the decorative tiles and distinctive pass-through for cocktails.
Mattei said they’re in the process of determining what kitchen equipment will be needed, depending on what items they add to the classic menu. For example, the old Molokai kitchen had a flat top and some fryers, but they might add some woks, he said.
Lounge will include a new outdoor deck
I asked Mattei for more info on the work going on outside The Molokai, viewable from the sidewalk and entrance on Federal Highway. The old wooden deck and bridge, previously used only by staff, has been rebuilt, he said.
Allsmiller and his crew stripped the old metal poles and covered them with molding clay similar to the porte-cochère to make them look like bamboo. The clay turns to cement, then it’s painted and glazed. Rope work will be added “to make it look natural,” Mattei said.
If you look closely at the left side of The Molokai’s east-facing wall, you’ll also see new finishing around the windows. They added beadboard to match the right side, Mattei said. This will become a small guest area when The Mai-Kai reopens, so care is being taken to make it as immersive as the inside of the restaurant.
The deck area is still a work in progress, with potential plans to reinstall a “hut” similar to the one you see in historic photos, hiding the pumps that control the water features. The pilings for the hut remain, so we’re hopeful that this will be part of the plans.
Parking lot reimagination is ambitious, complex
Finally, I got an update from Mattei on the ambitious parking lot project, which will eventually include a completely reimagined entry experience featuring immersive foliage, rock work and water features; a themed roundabout featuring a faux volcanic caldera; and a new outdoor bar under the refurbished porte-cochère. [See last month’s overview]
This last major piece of the restoration is a very complex, multi-layered project. Over the past month, Mattei said, there was a crew working on the sprinkler system, a team of electricians doing their thing, plus the plumbers who have been busy getting all the infrastructure in place for the bar and new water features.
All of this needs to be finished before the bar can be built and the landscaping can begin, Mattei said. Most of these outdoor areas previously had none of those features, so it’s another ground-up build-out.
A large swath of the property is dotted with small wooden stakes, each designating a different underground project with a different color flag. Purple is irrigation, grey is electric, white is regular water, Mattei said.
Add to this another new project: The installation of new Tiki torches that will help transform the property into a Polynesian paradise after dark. An entirely new system of gas lines was recently approved by the city, “but we’re waiting now for the gas company to dig their trenches,” Mattei said. Plans for the torches themselves are also waiting for city approval. “Hopefully that doesn’t put us behind,” he said.
Even if it does, we will continue to be patient with the knowledge that this unprecedented project will pay off with a spectacular finished product.
TIMELINE: Permits relatively unchanged, still point to June-July completion
Not much has changed in the 30 days since our last look at The Mai-Kai’s permits filed with the city of Oakland Park.
Reflecting the expansive nature of the parking lot work outlined above, a permit covering paving, grading and drainage was extended from April 25 to June 20. Irrigation last passed a rough inspection on March 21.
As noted before, the city’s online site is sometimes slow to update. We just saw the permit to tunnel under the building to replace the plumbing in the restrooms and kitchen, which was issued Feb. 14. This work, detailed in a previous update, is listed as 79% complete with the permit expiring June 6.
The farthest date on any permit remains July 17, covering the addition of the new outdoor bar. None of the others extend past June, which indicates most of the plans remain on track for a completion during early to mid-summer.
Many moving parts remain, of course, but we’re cautiously optimistic that the projected timeline remains on track.
MORE ON THE MAI-KAI
The Mai-Kai official sites and social media
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RECENT COVERAGE FROM THE ATOMIC GROG
MARCH 2024
Mai-Kai update (February 2024): Exterior reimagination up next as $15 million Mai-Kai project plows ahead
The historic South Florida restaurant prepares for an ambitious transformation of its sprawling 2.7-acre grounds.
>>> FULL COVERAGE AND PHOTOS
Direct links: Latest refurbishment news | Landscape reimagination imminent | Update on permits, timeline
FEBRUARY 2024
Mai-Kai update (January 2024): Renovations engulf entire property, reopening estimated for summer
Extensive infrastructure work moves underground, artists expand scope of restoration as project points toward completion by middle of the year.
JANUARY 2024
Mai-Kai refurbishment 2023 year-end recap: Updates, photos, timeline
Everything you need to know about the ongoing restoration, plus a comprehensive compilation of 2023 highlights.
The year in review: 2023 timeline, past coverage
DECEMBER 2023
Beyond Bora Bora: Reimagination of Mai-Kai entry experience evokes original vision
A new driveway and lushly landscaped parking will completely immerse guests in a South Seas fantasy world, just as the original owners envisioned.
NOVEMBER 2023
Mai-Kai update, fall 2023: Artists shine amid construction as final renovation projects take flight
While multiple construction projects are underway inside and outside the historic property, a small team of craftsmen is bringing the vintage decor back to life.
SEE ALL THE PAST STORIES ON THE RENOVATIONS
SPECIAL FEATURE
Okole Maluna Society: The Mai-Kai Cocktail Guide
Hurricane Hayward reviews and rates the historic restaurant’s current and past tropical drinks, plus reveals a treasure trove of ancestor and exclusive tribute recipes.