Denver Tiki: Trader Vic's vs. Don the Beachcomber - Part 1

More information about Denver Tiki and the Kahanui.

The history of Trader Vic’s and Don the Beachcomber here in Denver is quite an interesting tale. These franchises’ complex history in this market are so intertwined, you have to tell the story of both of them to hear the full story. Our story starts at the Cosmopolitan Hotel…

The Cosmo was built in 1926 and was located at 1790 Broadway in downtown Denver. It was located directly across the street from one of our other historic hotels, The Brown Palace. This is the Cosmo when it was first built.











When the Polynesian Pop culture movement began heating up, Vic Bergeron opened an Outrigger Restaurant in the Cosmo in 1962. The promotional material for the Outrigger states that the restaurant is ‘created’ by Trader Vic, but the location is not considered a full blown Trader Vic’s (yet).











This is the Cosmo in 1957, looking north along Broadway. The Brown Palace is on the left and the Cosmo is on the right. The Outrigger will move into the red circled area 5 years after this photo was taken.



To be continued...