History
The Kahiki restaurant was established at the height of popularity for tiki culture in the United States. Its owners, Bill Sapp and Lee Henry, had operated a bar nearby, the Grass Shack. The Polynesian-themed bar was frequented by World War II veterans in the 1950s. It was destroyed in a fire, prompting creation of the Kahiki Supper Club.[3]
In 1957, Sapp and Henry began researching for the restaurant project, including traveling with their designer Coburn Morgan throughout the South Pacific. They gathered artifacts and ideas, and visited tiki restaurants throughout the U.S. The Kahiki restaurant was built from July 1960 to early 1961. It opened its doors in February 1961.[3] In 1975, designer Coburn Morgan drew up plans for an expansion to the restaurant, including a treehouse dining space and museum. Around this time, plans were also drawn for a smaller tiki restaurant that could be replicated for a Kahiki franchise.[7]
Also in 1975, a conflict took place at the restaurant, called the Kahiki Incident. A dispute over a group's bill led to a physical altercation and the arrest of three diners. Two officers were fired for misconduct, though soon rehired. The incident and its fallout in the community was noted as a prominent incident of racial strife in the city.[8]
Sapp and Henry sold the restaurant to Mitch Boich in 1978, who entered a partnership with Michael Tsao later that year.[3] Sapp and Henry made the sale in order to finance a new restaurant, and was sorry to see its sale within two weeks. Tsao bought out his partner in 1988.[9] The business was incorporated in 1993, and the manufacture of prepared foods began in 1995. The company built a small food processing plant to the rear of the restaurant that year to produce its frozen meals.[3]
In 1997, the restaurant was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. At the time, it was the only tiki restaurant in Ohio, and the only remaining supper club in Columbus.[3] It closed on August 26, 2000 due to prohibitively high maintenance costs and a significant loss of business, and so the property was sold to Walgreens.[10] The retail pharmacy tore down the restaurant that year and replaced it with one of its stores. The demolition crew salvaged pieces of the restaurant, including the large fireplace, which required opening up part of the roof.[4] The restaurant's 110 employed staff were allowed to continue work at the business's food manufacturing plant beside the restaurant. The plant moved to a space in Gahanna beside John Glenn International Airport later that year.[11]
Owner Michael Tsao had believed that Columbus would relocate the Kahiki to the riverfront of the Scioto River in Downtown Columbus. He drew up plans for the site, in front of the Franklin County Veterans Memorial, and also considered spaces in Polaris, Easton, and the Arena District.[12] Tsao became caught up with the Kahiki brand's food production, and unexpectedly died in 2005.[9]
