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Chin Tiki was a
The Chin Tiki saw construction begin in 1965 and opened in July 1966. A former engineer for Ford, Chin designed the restaurant himself, and had a hand in most of the construction. Inspired by the burgeoning
File:Chin Tiki Before Demolition.jpg
File:Chin-tiki.jpg
File:Chin-tiki-before-demolition.jpg
File:The_former_lot_of_Chin_Tiki_at_2121_Cass.jpg
tiki
In Māori mythology, Tiki is the first man created by either Tūmatauenga or Tāne. He found the first woman, Marikoriko, in a pond; she seduced him and he became the father of Hine-kau-ataata. By extension, a tiki is a large or small woo ...
-themed supper club, nightclub and banquet hall in Detroit
Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
, Michigan
Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
owned by Marvin Chin. It closed in 1980 and was demolished in 2009.
History
The Chin Tiki saw construction begin in 1965 and opened in July 1966. A former engineer for Ford, Chin designed the restaurant himself, and had a hand in most of the construction. Inspired by the burgeoning Tiki culture
Tiki culture is an American-originated art, music, and entertainment movement inspired by Polynesian, Melanesian, and Micronesian cultures, and by Oceanian art. Influential cultures to Tiki culture include Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia ...
fad of the 1950s and 1960s, the first floor restaurant was ornately decorated "with towering tiki statues, waterfalls and a bamboo bridge." It also featured a large black light aquarium mural. The drink menu included well known tiki drinks such as the ''Sharks Tooth'', ''Head Hunter'', and Fog Cutter
The Fog Cutter is a vintage tiki cocktail frequently attributed to being invented by Victor Bergeron that calls for a mixture of several liquors (rum, brandy, gin), the juice of lemon and oranges, orgeat syrup, and cream sherry. It is high in ...
, as well as the ''Chin Tiki Punch'' and the ''Chin Tiki Special'', which was a communal drink meant for sharing, served in a large clam shell with long straws, and described as "a fusing of fine rums, brandy, liqueurs and fresh fruit juices crowned with a gardenia".
Chuck Thurston of the Detroit Free Press
The ''Detroit Free Press'' (commonly referred to as the ''Freep'') is a major daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest local newspaper owned by Gannett (the publisher of ''USA Today''), and is operated by the Detro ...
described what it was like to visit the Chin Tiki in August 1966:
The second floor housed a spacious nightclub with an even larger waterfall, imitation rock walls and a rattan covered stage. The Chin Tiki hosted live music and an authentic Polynesian floor show with Hawaiian dancers and fire-breathers. The restaurant was said to be frequented by such celebrities as Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...
, Barbra Streisand
Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand ( ; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, songwriter, producer, and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success across multiple fields of entertainment, being the ...
and Joe DiMaggio
Joseph Paul DiMaggio (; born Giuseppe Paolo DiMaggio, ; November 25, 1914 – March 8, 1999), nicknamed "Joltin' Joe", "the Yankee Clipper" and "Joe D.", was an American professional baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career ...
.
One of Chin's early competitors was the other large Detroit area Tiki restaurant named the ''Mauna Loa'', but it was short lived.
Following Detroit's economic downturn, Chin shuttered Chin Tiki in 1980, where it remained untouched for two decades and was deemed "a Tiki tomb, a time capsule," by local tiki enthusiasts. However, after Chin died in 2006 his family quickly sold the building to Olympia Development LLC, owned by Detroit mogul Mike Ilitch
Michael Ilitch Sr. (July 20, 1929 – February 10, 2017), also known as Mr. I, was an American entrepreneur and restaurateur who served as the founder and owner of the international fast food franchise Little Caesars Pizza. He also owned the D ...
and family. The building was torn down in 2009.
Port O' Three
Marvin Chin also owned the ''Port O' Three'' Tiki restaurant in nearby Bloomfield Hills, MI. Its menu and signage used many of the same graphics as the ''Chin Tiki'' and used the same cocktail menu. The name came from his "three types of food" concept for the restaurant which he advertised for on his matchbooks: "Marvin Chin proudly presents a new concept in dining. A unique combination of sea food, Polynesian, and Japanese cuisine under one roof....", but the restaurant stayed in business for only a short period of time. ''Chin's'' is a small Cantonese restaurant in Livonia, MI that is decorated with some of the Chin Tiki's former statues.In popular culture
The ''Chin Tiki'' was later famous for being a film location for the movie '' 8 Mile''. The unique look of the building had gotten the attention of production designer Phil Messina, who hadUniversal Studios Universal Studios may refer to:
* Universal Studios, Inc., an American media and entertainment conglomerate
** Universal Pictures, an American film studio
** Universal Studios Lot, a film and television studio complex
* Various theme parks operat ...
contact Chin to contract the use of his facility for the filming. The renewed interest had fueled speculation for a short period of time that the restaurant would reopen.
Gallery
See also
* History of the Chinese Americans in Metro DetroitReferences