Walking into the Kahiki Supper Club felt less like entering a restaurant and more like stepping into another world. Back in 2000, you were greeted by giant Moai statues, waterfalls, tropical plants, flickering torches, and one of the most unforgettable examples of tiki architecture ever built. It wasn't just dinner, it was an experience. 03-01
The Kahiki opened in 1961 and quickly became one of America's premier Polynesian-themed restaurants. Designed with a soaring A-frame roof resembling a South Seas meeting house, the interior featured a simulated rainforest, fish-filled lagoons, and a massive stone Moai fireplace. Diners came from all over to enjoy elaborate tropical drinks, including the famous "Mystery Drink," which arrived only after a gong summoned the mysterious server to the table. By the late 1990s, the restaurant had become so significant that it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Sadly, historic status wasn't enough to save it. The Kahiki closed on August 26, 2000, and was demolished just a few months later to make way for a Walgreens. While the building is gone, a few pieces were rescued, including its massive stone Moai fireplace, and the Kahiki name continues today through the frozen food company that grew out of the restaurant.
UPDATE: The Kahiki Supper Club was demolished in November 2000, and the site is now occupied by a Walgreens. A handful of artifacts survive in private and public collections, preserving the memory of one of America's greatest tiki landmarks. 06-26
The following are photos of the Kahiki, courtesy
Dirk Burhans. 03-01
Here's a view of the exterior
of the Kahiki Photo courtesy Dirk Burhans
The remarkable Kahiki
Supper Club in Columbus, Ohio is threatened to be demolished and turned
into a Walgreen drugstore. To help save this treasure from becoming the
next entrant into "Where Are They Now", the Kahiki needs your
support!
Please click on this website http://savethekahiki.bizland.com/
(site no longer active) for more details.
Many thanks to Nathalie Wright of the Society of Commercial Archeology
for this information.
