Hundreds of Tikiphiles flocked to Inuhele: Atlanta’s Tiki Weekend at the end of January for three days of artists and vendors, live music and entertainment, rum and cocktail tastings, plus a healthy dose of “edutainment.” The Omni hotel and Trader Vic’s were abuzz Jan 24-26 as enthusiastic guests enjoyed seminars and presentations on a wide range of topics.
Previous coverage: Event overview, plus photos and video on social media
We gained a new appreciation for the work of pioneering artist Bosko, got mixology tips from the Luau Lads and Tiki Lindy, and received an exclusive update on the future of the Don the Beachcomber restaurants and upcoming book. The Atomic Grog was privileged to participate with an update on the reimagination and reopening of the Mai-Kai.
Previous coverage: Don the Beachcomber brand closes maiden venue, but navigates rough seas with dynamic expansion plans
This was a follow-up to our 2023 symposium, Okole Maluna! The Return of The Mai-Kai, when we revealed details and a sneak peek at what would become an ambitious $20 million project that’s still ongoing. After the grand reopening in November, there was a lot new to report.
Our 60-minute multimedia presentation, Paradise Reimagined: Deep Inside the Mai-Kai Restoration, featured an exclusive look at the reimagination and revival with photos, video and tips for your next trip. For further updates, click on the links below.
More Atomic Grog coverage
• Exclusive ongoing coverage of the Mai-Kai reopening
• Mai-Kai bar and cocktail news, reviews and insights
• Answers to frequently asked questions about the Mai-Kai
• Mai-Kai Restoration & Reopening: Full story and photo archive
Following are some of the highlights of our slideshow, including two walk-through videos with creative director “Typhoon Tommy” Allsmiller. Click on the images for a larger view. Below are notes pertaining to each slide.
Paradise Reimagined: Deep Inside the Mai-Kai Restoration
Presented at Inuhele in Atlanta on Jan. 26, 2025
Historic photos from the Mai-Kai, Tim “Swanky” Glazner, and other sources. Current and recent photos by Hurricane Hayward and the Mai-Kai unless noted.
↑ Charles McKirahan was one of the foremost architects of the Mid-Century Modern movement. The Mai-Kai design was Inspired by Canlis in Hawaii, featuring a 40-foot steel A-frame allowing an open main area, flanked by dining rooms. McKirahan was responsible for some of South Florida’s most iconic buildings of that era.
↑ After attending Stanford University, Bob and Jack Thornton borrowed money from their parents and went on to create the biggest Tiki temple of them all. The Mai-Kai grossed $1 million during its first full year of operation (1957) as the 150 seat-restaurant served 1,000 customers a night. The colorized image is available as a 4-by-6 postcard in the gift shop.
↑ Mariano Licudine stayed at The Mai-Kai for 23 years until he retired in 1979. The first photo is from 1957, the second likely around 10 years later. Bob Thornton (left) bought out his brother Jack in 1970, serving as owner until he passed away in 1989.
↑ The original restaurant featured five dining rooms and a small bar, all surrounding the main A-frame. Note the entrance bridge and sign with three cannibals on top.
↑ The Molokai bar rendering by artist Al Kocab was later used on a postcard, also revived and available for purchase. The new Molokai opened in 1971, replacing the smaller bar added in 1958. Note how different the signature “Molokai Maiden” (left) appeared in its final form after decor from Mutiny on the Bounty (the 1962 film) was used to enhance the nautical design.
↑ The above images give you a good idea of how big the expansion was. The floor plan – and the Mai-Kai – remained stuck in time for the next 50 years. When Bob Thornton died, his wife Mireille and her family took over and continued to run the restaurant until the 2020 closing.
↑ A double whammy happened when a rooftop drain clogged during a massive storm, then a main line of the fire sprinkler system ruptured. The old roofing material soaked up huge amounts of water, compromising the roof within days. The portion of the back-of-house that was lost included the kitchen and back service bar. The Molokai, dining rooms and offices were not damaged, but the cost to repair was astronomical and not feasible for the family. They had to close the Mai-Kai while they sought partners to keep it going. (Photos by Kern Mattei)
↑ The sale was announced in September 2021, and by early 2022 a plan was in place for an epic restoration and reimagination thanks to historic preservationist Bill Fuller and his company, the Barlington Group. The original figure of $5 million in renovations quickly went out the window, and Fuller’s comments at The Hukilau were prophetic. The cost ended up being $20 million as of the November opening, and that’s just phase 1. To bring the project to life, Fuller and Kern Mattei (who has been GM since 1993), turned to a theme park designer with a passion for Tiki and the Mai-Kai.
↑ “Typhoon Tommy” Allsmiller, a 20-year veteran of Universal and Disney park projects as well as several Tiki bar and home builds, took the job and ran with it. He brought in other artists to help him bring every square inch back to life. After sitting idle for nearly two years without power, the already aging structure and decor was in bad shape when he started work in July 2022. It turns out that time capsules often don’t age well. But the old bones were very strong, and all it required was time, money and the talent of everyone who worked on the project.
↑ The plans for the entryway were ambitious, rerouting it around the historic porte-cochère and constructing a new traffic circle. This would require the removal of the historic Bora Bora building. The project is divided into two distinctive concepts: Restoration and reimagination, and the following slide titles will hopefully designate which is which. Sometimes, it’s a little of both.
↑ The front two-thirds of the A-frame was originally open air and screened in over the indoor garden and dining room. It was enclosed in the 1960s when air-conditioning was added to the main showroom. The paint and color scheme was restored to the same as it has been since the 1970s. Those are the acrobatic workers from Tiki King in September using a cherry picker and scaling the roof to add new synthetic thatch that looks 100 percent natural but is a lot more safe and durable.
↑ Tim Ellis from Colonial Decorators was just 18 when he worked on the original artwork (left). His grandfather designed it, and he put together the nine stencils that make up the mural. When he returned 50 years later, in 2023, he had to trace it, then re-create the stencils (Photo by Kern Mattei). The mural was repainted in September and October using a modern high-gloss, durable paint that wasn’t available in the old days. After applying multiple coats, Ellis said that considering the old one lasted 50 years, the new one is “gonna last forever.” By January, the rock work had been completed and all that remained was for the water features to be finished.
↑ Bora Bora was demolished in April 2022 after tapa and other materials were removed and used in lamps and other decor inside the restaurant. Some wood was used for trim and molding. But the unsafe structure had to come down. The new entry, photographed in September, is spectacular.
Previous coverage: Beyond Bora Bora: Reimagination of Mai-Kai entry experience evokes original vision
Let’s check out a video tour of all the outdoor features with Typhoon Tommy …
↑ Note the curved palms, which were a signature of the early Mai-Kai landscaping. Also look for the new light poles and lanterns, designed by Allsmiller to add a nautical element that ties back to the bars.
↑ Here we see the cannibals again, revived by artist Tom Fowner. The Basement Kahuna carving is temporary, moved from inside behind the stage. It will be replaced soon by a new tiki carved by Fowner.
↑ The new carvings are believed to the first-ever tikis created on Mai-Kai property. You can also find the cannibal trio on the front of the new Mai-Kai menus.
Previous coverage: Is it 1956 or 2024? Forward-thinking Mai-Kai menus sport retro flair
↑ The caldera was envisioned by Orlando’s Perry-Becker Design and built by theme park construction firm COST of Wisconsin. Owners of pre-1980 classic cars can take advantage of free parking nearby.
↑ Keith Becker (left) and Jesse Muller of Perry-Becker visited the property to supervise the construction of their designs. Cement was poured into molds by the crew from COST to create the rock features.
↑ Allsmiller created the Polynesian pattern that runs across the new 8-foot-high wall, which stretches 500 feet across the back of the property along Northeast 20th Avenue. New wood plating goes all the way across the back of the building. Huge walls of bamboo were planted on the outside of the wall to shield the property from the neighborhood. A huge growth also hides the neighboring furniture store. The lush vegetation was installed by another well-regarded company, Brightview, the nation’s leading commercial landscape company. The green ballards (poles) that you see all along the driveway were carved by South Florida artist Todd Ashbaugh (aka Captain Cowfish)
↑ The porte-cochère was rebuilt from its bones, new thatch installed and the beams stripped to their bare wood to be reimagined by Allsmiller and his team. The historic fiberglass lighted panels above the doors were removed and meticulously restored by Allsmiller and Scott “Flounder” Scheidly. The lights hadn’t worked in decades. Allsmiller – with help from Conrad Teheiura Itchener – turned the ugly metal beams into what appears to be bamboo. By the time the bar opened for sneak previews in November 2024, the space was totally reimagined. (Bottom right photo by Phillip Haire)
↑ Look for the Polynesian symbols in the pavement when you arrive. The tables were hand-made by Allsmiller and his team. A new water feature blocks the view of the traffic and buildings along Federal Highway.
↑ The sweeping views of the entrance can now be admired for more than the few seconds when you got out of your car. Many items in the Bora Bora Bar, including the outrigger canoe, are restored original pieces. At right you can see the new rigging and ships wheel that Allsmiller and Scheidly installed to connect the bar to the Mutiny on the Bounty story. Note the “Bounty” lettering below.
↑ Allsmiller further enhanced the back story when he restored one of the nautical maps in the Molokai. It was faded beyond repair, so he created a new map that shows Easter Island and Pitcairn Island. On the latter, look for the reference to “Capt. T.R. Allsmiller.”
↑ The Molokai was perfectly restored by Allsmiller and his team, much of the woodwork repaired to look exactly like it did in 1970. The secluded area in the far back corner (bottom left), which features thatch on the walls and windows into the water features behind the showroom stage, is the remnants of the old Oahu Room from 1956.
↑ The 150-capacity lounge features live music by the Mai-Kai Serenaders on some nights. One of the lead musicians, Conrad Teheiura Itchener, was also part of the artistic team during the peak of the restoration. He used the Molokai as his workspace in creating replicas of many wall panels, trim and other decor that had fallen into disrepair. He created molds and cast them in durable hard foam. They were then painted to look exactly like the original pieces that were made of heavy plaster. Look for the panels in the gift shop and women’s restroom.
There’s no better guide to take us deeper into the Mai-Kai restoration than Typhoon Tommy. He and Mattei greeted us at the front door Jan. 16 for the filming of this video.
↑ Allsmiller and Scheidly spent a year restoring the hundreds of hanging lamps throughout the restaurant. Some had to be completely rebuilt from scratch. They were aided by the original schematics from Oceanic Arts, which were found in the Mai-Kai archives. The lamp in the center features tapa salvaged from the Bora Bora building.
↑ Don’t forget to look up when you’re in the showroom. The soaring A-frame and lamps and a sight to behold.
↑ The Polynesian Islander Revueis back, bigger and better than ever and with its roots intact. Mireille Thornton consulted and was part of the development process. Her grandson Michael is the AV director. Kern and his wife Elke (who was a dancer when he met her) have a son, Nicholas, who has been dancing since before the closing. Gift shop manager Tricia Lee Cline’s grandson is dancer, following in the footsteps of his grandfather. Teuruhei’s two daughters are also in the show, one a dancer and one a musician.
↑ A major job for Allsmiller and Scheidly was installing new matting and bamboo to the walls and saving whatever vintage tapa they could. Above is a before-and-after look at a corner in the Tonga Room. At right are two of the Mai-Kai’s four vintage black velvets, believed to have been painted by artist Eric Askew, who was trained by the pioneer of the style, Edgar Leeteg. The walls are mostly all new materials, but the floorboard uses wood salvaged from the Bora Bora Room.
↑ New Guinea is the room to the left of the stage when you’re facing it. One of the oldest dining areas, it dates back to 1956. It took a lot of work to restore the walls, where new tapa and matting was added and aged to look vintage.
↑ Tonga is the elevated area in the rear of the showroom, added in the 1970 expansion. Look for the tiki birds in a series of cages high on the walls. They were totally refurbished, including many new birds and artificial flowers from California’s The Pleated Peacock (Shawna Marie Tice), which can be found around the restaurant. Her previous work includes Disneyland’s Enchanted Tiki Room. The lamps are brighter after being cleaned and new LED bulbs added, making the entire area more vibrant. Don’t miss the cannibal carvings in a box on the right side, which you can also see from the walkway.
↑ Don’t let the name confuse you. The Garden is the prime, center seating. The name dates back to when the area was literally an open-air garden. Hawaii is another original dining area with tables that can be configured for large groups.
↑ Moorea is the smallest of the showrooms. The authentic outrigger hanging from the ceiling was used by founding owner Bob Thornton when he courted future wife Mireille. They brought it back from Tahiti after they wed. The ceiling extends up into the room’s own A-frame roof. Jeff Kozan of Vatican Tattoo in Delray Beach used his artistic skills to restore several tapa displays using sharpie pens, plus brush and ink. Before-and-after photos show the extent of the wear and tear on the lamps that were restored.
↑ All the water features have been refurbished and a new walking path installed in the tiki gardens. King Kai was carved by artist Will Anders from a Florida Black Olive trunk and installed in 2016. Look around at the new hand-made fence and see if you can find the seven lucky tikis that stand atop of the 16-foot poles Tom Fowner carved.
↑ Hiroa Nui was also carved by Anders and installed in 2016. It’s a tribute to an old carving by Barney West that Mireille Thornton posed with in the 1960s (featured on another new postcard). It stands 7 feet with a 2-foot base and 3-foot pedestal. The many small tikis were cast in cement by Anders over the past two decades from molds of the original wooden carvings collected by the Thornton brothers. Bob Thornton had the molds made so they could be preserved. You can now have dinner in the Lanai seating area, no reservations required.
↑ When admiring the restoration, you can’t forget the restrooms. The men’s room, which has the same nautical decor as the Molokai Bar, features a great deal of refurbished wood. The women’s room, with its ornate Asian theme, includes vintage 1970s-era tiles that match the originals exactly. Many of the wall panels are also newly made from molds. A new handicapped restroom was installed near the gift shop. It has an upscale nautical theme, imagined by Allsmiller to be the “captain’s quarters” in the rear of a ship with gold fixtures and a frosted window with lighting that changes. Look for the mermaid under the sink.
↑ Right behind the showroom is the Mai-Kai Trading Company (aka Trading Post), which used to be the Bangkok dining room decades ago and has theming that matches the ladies room. The floors and walls were extensively restored. One area had to be stripped down to its bare wood, but it now looks great (center photos). The shop includes lots of new merchandise – including shirts, prints and totes designed by California artist Mcbiff. Two new features: You can now see the show through the pillars behind the Tonga Room (top left) and also get a peek into the main service bar through a new window at the far end (right photo).
↑ Cory Starr is the perfect man to take over the Mai-Kai bar program with his vast experience and reverence for the classic cocktails. Watch him and his team in the formerly secret bar, which has been completely reimagined by Allsmiller and his team from a utilitarian back-of-house space into a Tiki hideaway that looks better than most front-of-house bars.
↑ The Okole Maluna Society sign (created by Tom Fowner) is a tribute to the old loyalty program that ran for just a few years in the early days of the Mai-Kai, challenging guests to consume every drink on the menu. It even includes the rum insignia from the original card that you received when you finished the challenge. Allsmiller colorized the original photo of Licudine and the Thorntons (see slide 3 above), which now occupies a special space behind the bar.
↑ One of most famous cocktails coming out of the bar, the Mystery Drink has been copied but never duplicated. It’s back with new mystery girls and the same exotic experience. The drink, which serves four to six and features around 10 ounces of booze, was famously consumed by Johnny Carson on his Tonight Show in the 1960s.
↑ Eric October, known for his vintage paintings of cocktails, was tapped to create images of all the Mai-Kai drinks. He painted them in watercolor using a traditional style.
↑ Three new mugs were created by Tiki Farm from designs by contemporary artists. The mugs are available in the gift shop along with all the classic mugs. The Vitale mugs are used for two of Starr’s new drinks.
↑ The third new cocktail with a mug is appropriately called The Marquesan. The original carving by Hawaii’s Bill Collins guards the lobby, next to the new signature bench created by Fowner.
Once again, mahalo to everyone at Inuhele who attended the presentation. And much appreciation to organizers Jonathan and Allison Chaffin for inviting me to participate, and for once again producing a top-notch event. I hope to see everyone again at Inuhele as well as the Mai-Kai!
For more Mai-Kai history, pick up a copy of Mai-Kai: History and Mystery of the Iconic Tiki Restaurant by Tim “Swanky” Glazner.
OFFICIAL SITES AND SOCIAL MEDIA
The Mai-Kai: MaiKai.com | Facebook | Instagram
• Facebook group: Friends of the Mai-Kai
• Instagram: Classics of the Mai-Kai
The Atomic Grog: AtomicGrog.com | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Bluesky
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