Clearly visible signs of a looming reopening of The Mai-Kai have emerged as the beloved South Florida Polynesian restaurant nears the four-year mark of its closing due to severe roof damage. Dozens of workers and heavy equipment can be seen toiling daily on the massive project to reimagine the entryway and parking lot. Meanwhile, “now hiring” ads appeared on social media for the first time during August.
Recent Mai-Kai coverage
• Parking lot reimagination accelerates as owner targets fall reopening (June-July 2024)
Story archive: Full coverage of The Mai-Kai refurbishment
The outdoor work across the 2.7-acre property was the highlight of the month. It’s the final major project to be completed as part of a $15 million restoration led by preservationist Bill Fuller and his new ownership group. Miami-based Barlington Group also owns Little Havana’s equally historic Ball & Chain, which first opened in 1935.
Opened in 1956 by brothers Bob and Jack Thornton, The Mai-Kai was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2014. The family and key employees remain involved in the operation, which will be run by another company co-founded by Fuller, Mad Room Hospitality.
Another visible confirmation of the expected fall reopening can be seen on the updated official MaiKai.com website, which touts the “grand reopening” in the fall and includes a link to sign up to be notified when reservations are available.
This story will cover the highlights of August, including photos of the progress both in front and behind the property. The outdoor areas were redesigned by landscape architecture and thematic design firm Perry-Becker Design. The Orlando-based architects are responsible for many high-profile projects at resorts, theme parks and zoos, including Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
Jump to more below
• Hiring begins for kitchen and bar staff
• Landscaping, reimagined exterior taking shape
• Building permits now extend into November
Hiring begins for kitchen and bar staff
There was much excitement when “now hiring” ads appeared on The Mai-Kai’s social media accounts on Aug. 20 after months of inactivity. The posts were hailed as the light at the end of the tunnel. Or, more appropriately, the flaming fire-knife dancer at the end of the tsunami.
The four separate images, posted on the official Instagram and Facebook pages, include an email address to send resumes for potential bartenders, line cooks, performers and Molokai Girls. The requirements for performers in the Polynesian Islander Revue (dancers, musicians and master of ceremonies) are very specific, so be sure to check that ad before applying.
The start of the hiring process is no doubt a good sign. Typically, new restaurants begin staffing around six to eight weeks before opening. That would put a potential Mai-Kai reopening date squarely in the mid- to late October timeframe, which lines up with previous estimates.
The excitement should be tempered, however, with the reality of potential delays. As a comparison, the new Don the Beachcomber restaurant in Madeira Beach also started hiring a similarly large staff (more than 100 employees) with ads posted on social media starting Nov. 30, 2023. However, due to permitting delays, the restaurant didn’t open until Feb. 23, 2024, around 12 weeks later.
No matter the timeline, the cocktail and culinary programs both appear to be in good hands. Stay tuned for an announcement of the new chef and head bartender from The Mai-Kai in the coming weeks.
Veteran manager Kern Mattei reports that he has been extremely busy, juggling his duties overseeing everything from new bar and kitchen equipment to the artists handling renovations while also helping conduct interviews with bartenders, Molokai waitresses, food-runners, prep cooks, line cooks, and more.
He’s not doing it alone, however. New management from Mad Room Hospitality has been dedicated to The Mai-Kai, including director of operations Darius Green, who will oversee the restaurant. The back office is abuzz with activity as staffing ramps up.
Meanwhile, creative director “Typhoon Tommy” Allsmiller and his team – Scott “Flounder” Scheidly, Tom Fowner, and Conrad Teheiura Itchener – are working full-throttle on multiple design projects.
“We just try to keep our head down and keep going,” said Allsmiller, an Orlando area theme park designer who has been on the job since early 2022. Itchener, a longtime musician in the stage show, has been helping set up a new sound system. He’s also installing new railings and steps throughout the restaurant to make it more safe when guests return.
Fowner recently completed a new hand-carved bench that you’ll find near the gift shop and restrooms. The South Florida artist posted a photo Aug. 9 of the work in progress on Facebook.
In late August, Scheidly was working on designing new nautical-themed swinging doors into the back-of-house. This will allow all the new food-runners and wait staff more seamless access into the new kitchen.
UPDATES: Landscaping, reimagined exterior taking shape
It’s important to draw a distinction between the work inside the 67-year-old restaurant (which is all about restoration) and the work outside (which is very much a reimagination). Allsmiller was tasked with turning back the clock and making the Molokai Bar and guest dining spaces look at least the way they did before the closing, and in some cases even more vintage.
PHOTOS: Inside the Molokai Bar and tour of The Mai-Kai restoration
But the new design of the outdoor areas that guests see before they enter the restaurant is decidedly forward-thinking, albeit with an emphasis on Polynesian culture and heritage. Work on many elements of the project ramped up in July, as outlined in our previous report. This update will take a chronological look at the progress during August.
For an overview and more details on the concept of the immersive entry experience, check out our past story that includes details from an April presentation by Jesse Muller of Perry-Becker Design. The firm’s principal of landscape architecture and thematic design, Keith Becker, was on-site as recently as Aug. 29 to check on the progress of the specialists tasked with making the ambitious plan a reality.
This includes a crew from the Orlando branch of COST, a Wisconsin-based theme and specialty construction company that is working on two giant water features and faux volcanic caldera that will sit in the center of a new themed roundabout in the center of the parking lot. The transformation of the grounds, including special themed pavement, is the handiwork of BrightView Landscape Development, a national firm with offices across Florida. The Mai-Kai also hired a specialist in rock work to help restore the many existing features.
Meanwhile, CSR Heavy Construction of Deerfield Beach is handling the paving and general construction work. When you drive by the restaurant, which sits in the city of Oakland Park on the Federal Highway border of Fort Lauderdale, you never now what you’re going to see from day to day.
On Aug. 16, a crew of three plus a supervisor were hard at work replacing the fencing around the outdoor Tiki garden that stretches around the south and southeast property lines. The old portions were taken down bit-by-bit and swapped out with massive 10-foot-tall logs all along Federal, aka U.S. 1. Much to our surprise, we spotted several additional custom-carved poles sprouting up another 4 feet.
Fowner, the South Florida artist, carved 11 of these poles, which were strategically placed amid the logs. The sturdy new barrier is an upgrade in both its look and durability. We’re told to keep an eye out for additional surprises to be added to the poles before the reopening.
We also spotted the framing for the light-and-water feature sitting in the back corner of the parking lot, waiting to be installed. The traffic circle will not only control vehicle flow in and out of The Mai-Kai, it will also provide a new “wow factor” for arriving guests. The frame is made of rebar with a special plastic gridwork that will be covered in cement and molded into the shape and look of a volcanic caldera.
These large cauldron-like hollows form shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcano eruption. The volcano effect will be accomplished with lighting features and water jets to simulate the bubble of lava. A stylized door will allow access to the interior of the water feature from the back.
After The Mai-Kai reopens, the 20-foot-tall caldera will be visible only from deep inside the parking lot. A long row of towering bamboo was planted in mid-August behind the 8-foot-high privacy wall along Northeast 20th Avenue. When the 40-foot-tall grass (yes, bamboo is part of the grass family) spreads out across the 500-foot-long wall, the view from the outside will be totally blocked. This and other strategically placed landscaping will also keep guests completely immersed in a tropical paradise once they enter the property.
The front driveway was a flurry of activity. The roadway curbs were being a stylized with red paint and special theming. A landscape specialist was working on the plantings in the front water feature where the Bora Bora building once stood. We also noticed that the poles surrounding the entrance were being painted. The plank “bridge” is actually a special effect that rumbles when vehicles cross, simulating thunder as you enter the tropical paradise.
On Aug. 23, we got a closer look at the new 200-foot-long fence made of logs that were sunk around 4 feet deep every 8 feet. Many of Fowner’s carved poles are on the south side bordering the furniture store, so be sure to wander over there if you want to admire his creations.
In the parking area, palm trees were being planted in new medians and other spots that will be newly landscaped. We also spotted new artwork by Allsmiller, the creative director, that had been stenciled on the south end of the back wall. The Polynesian design will eventually extend along the entire inside of the 500-foot-long wall.
It was also good to see crews from Around the Clock Gas Service of Hialeah Gardens busy installing dozens of lines that will power 50 new torches to be installed throughout the new entryway. This was the final major step before the massive new water features could be installed.
We were also surprised Aug. 23 to see Fuller, the busy owner and head honcho of multiple companies, down in the drained water feature in front of the A-frame getting his hands dirty and discussing design with the rock expert. Fuller is also an amateur arborist and landscaping enthusiast who takes an active role in the selection and implementation of plantings around the property.
Amid the rocks under the A-frame, he pointed out a coconut palm that had been transplanted from near front door. It will grow like a bonsai in the minimalist space, he said. Nearby, he said, they planned to drop several large palms that will help accentuate the signature frontage along with the new torches.
I asked about the pillars visible out front, the remnants of a hut that you can see in historic photos. It was built simply as camouflage for water pumps, but I’ve heard rumors that it may return as a functioning guest space. Fuller said they plan to bring the hut back, just not as large and probably not in time for the reopening.
We returned a week later on Aug. 30 to find the new trees exactly where the hands-on owner said they would be planted, propped up by several large wooden planks. Fuller was not there that day, but we can imagine him directing the installation of those and other new large palms we spotted behind the building with braces that keep them from growing at an angle.
There was a lot of activity in the old Bora Bora water feature as it was cleaned and prepped for a new pump system. The water feature in front of the main A-frame isn’t far behind. Allsmiller said a specialist was “replumbing the whole thing so it runs more like a swimming pool and it filters itself.”
The new water features were also moving along, although the structures had yet to be placed. The week’s rain set the project back just a bit, I was told, but the base for the waterfall near the entrance looked like it was nearing completion.
In the rear, the base for the caldera water feature also appeared to be almost complete with visible plumbing and a bowl that resembled an above-ground pool. The work on the gas lines was also moving along with many now hidden from view.
All of the cement-curbed islands across the parking area appear to be complete, and many included palm trees both large and small. Even the very back, nondescript corners of the lot are getting some TLC with new plantings. A control panel for the irrigation system was also newly added.
One new feature was also visible. Along the back of the building, we could see metal framework going up for the themed roof extension that will hide the air-conditioning units and other infrastructure from view.
At the rate things are going, barring any major interruption by inclement weather, all of these projects should continue at the same fast pace. Once complete, all that will remain is approval by city officials.
Building permits now extend into November
There’s good news and bad news on the permitting front as The Mai-Kai restoration heads into the home stretch. Work is moving along at a rapid pace both inside and outside the restaurant, with at least 22 inspections noted as “passed” during the month of August on the city of Oakland Park website.
However, some 90 inspections or approvals remain to be done on the five major permits listed on the website as active. And the three most active and complex of these permits have been pushed back from October into November. That’s not to say work won’t be complete in October, only that more time is now built into the permitting process.
Two of the most active permits cover the ongoing work outside. The plumbing and electrical permit for the new bar under the porte-cochère, noted as 36 percent complete, was pushed back from Oct. 10 to Nov. 26. It passed a rough piping inspection Aug. 28 and has 14 remaining.
The permit that covers the rest of the parking lot reimagination – labeled as “paving, grading & drainage” – now extends to Nov. 27. It was listed as 65 percent complete after passing 18 inspections in August, including “gas exterior piping” inspections on Aug. 26-28, and “steel-special inspection” on Aug. 27. The former involves the new array of Tiki torches, while the latter likely refers to either the new water feature structures or the roof extension. At least 35 inspections remain on this major project.
The “interior renovation” permit, which has been active since March 2023, was extended from Oct. 16 to Nov. 18. It’s 62 percent complete with at least three inspections completed in August, including a final gas inspection Aug. 19. The website lists 33 more to go, including all the final plumbing and building inspections, as well as the all-important certificate of occupancy.
A fall reopening remains very much in sight, as the website touts. But until more of these inspections are checked off the list, it will be hard to predict exactly when in October (or November) all the t’s are crossed and i’s are dotted. Stay tuned for future updates.
MORE ON THE MAI-KAI
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