Kahiki Supper Club - Columbus

Columbus, Ohio, United States

Kahiki Supper Club is a legend in the tiki world a massive polynesian palace in the frozen land of Columbus, Ohio. Kahiki founders Bill Sapp and Lee Henry started work on the Kahiki after their bar, the Grass Shack, burned down on this site in 1959. The Kahiki opened February 20th, 1961 and closed August 25th, 2000. The Kahiki's building was a classic example of midcentury Polynesian pop architecture, and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. Despite this, Walgreen's purchased the building and bulldozed it. The Kahiki company now is focused on selling a line of frozen foods.

Some of the interior decor had been stored in a warehouse, and there was talk of the restaurant reopening in a new location. The potential for that seems to have ended: some of the decor was installed in the frozen food factory; the Kahiki's last owner, Michael Tsao, has died; and many of the remaining artifacts appear to have been sold at auctions.

In 2006, former employees opened a new restaurant in a strip mall in nearby Hilliard, called Tropical Bistro. It didn't have the Kahiki's grand looks (much of the decor came from the space's earlier, typical Chinese buffet incarnation), but the food and drink recipes remained the same, and drinks were served in tiki mugs. The Tropical Bistro closed also in 2008, however.