Trader Vic’s, a popular Polynesian restaurant chain that previously lived in Los Angeles, is preparing to return to the area with a new location in West Hollywood at 9091 Santa Monica Boulevard.
The longtime company appears to be returning to Los Angeles after 18 years, set to move into what was proposed to be a new cannabis concept called Antidote, previously reported by What Now Los Angeles. Now, Trader Vic’s is set to open sometime next year, according to WeHo Online. This is a massive accomplishment for the company, considering it previously operated a location at Beverly Hilton in 1955 before it eventually closed in 2007. The company still has 17 locations operating worldwide.
Victor Bergeron opened the concept in 1934 as “Hinky Dinks” before expanding to Seattle with his first franchised location in the Benjamin Franklin Hotel. The concept’s second location was a small bar named The Outrigger. After this, the company rebranded to become Trader Vic’s in 1960 and opened locations in Hawaii and San Francisco. Trader Vic’s opened at The Beverly Hilton in 1955. In the 1950s and 1960s, the brand grew to as many as 25 locations worldwide. As of 2024, there are three Trader Vic’s restaurants in the United States, one in Europe, ten in the Middle East, two in Asia, and one in Africa.
Now, CEO of Trader Vic’s Hospitality Group, Rhett Rosen, a West Hollywood resident, hopes to finally bring the restaurant back to Los Angeles. The company’s third California location will sit in a historic brick building that dates back to the 1920s. Customers can expect Trader Vic’s full classic menu, live music, and tiki mugs. To help maintain a sense of nostalgia within the establishment, Rosen has enlisted Bergeron’s granddaughter, Eve Bergeron, as an in-house historian and marketer. For those who can’t wait, Chain will host the pop-up in December to showcase a preview of what’s to come next year.
