Trader Vic's is a restaurant and tiki bar chain headquartered in Martinez, California, United States. Victor Jules Bergeron, Jr. founded a chain of Polynesian-themed restaurants that bore his nickname, "Trader Vic". He was one of two people who claimed to have invented the Mai Tai.[1] The other was his amicable competitor for many years, Donn Beach of the "Don the Beachcomber" restaurants.
History
Bergeron attended Heald College in San Francisco.[2] On November 17, 1934, using $500 in borrowed money, Bergeron opened a small bar/restaurant across from his uncle's bar at San Pablo Avenue and 65th Street[3][4] in the Golden Gate District of Oakland.[5]