{"id":27721,"date":"2023-02-23T16:06:28","date_gmt":"2023-02-23T21:06:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.slammie.com\/atomicgrog\/blog\/?p=27721"},"modified":"2024-02-28T22:08:07","modified_gmt":"2024-02-29T03:08:07","slug":"breaking-new-don-the-beachcomber-locations-launching-in-florida-up-to-15-planned-across-southeast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.slammie.com\/atomicgrog\/blog\/2023\/02\/23\/breaking-new-don-the-beachcomber-locations-launching-in-florida-up-to-15-planned-across-southeast\/","title":{"rendered":"New Don the Beachcomber locations launching in Florida, up to 15 planned across Southeast"},"content":{"rendered":"

LATEST UPDATES<\/B><\/FONT>
\n* Don the Beachcomber grand opening in Florida is a smashing success<\/a><\/strong> (February 2024)
\n* Revived Don the Beachcomber brand opens first location in southwest Florida<\/a> (February 2024)
\n* First new Don the Beachcomber location on track to open in early 2024<\/a> (December 2023)
\n* Florida is ground zero for revival of iconic brand<\/a> (October 2023)<\/p>\n

The Feb. 22 birthday of Tiki bar pioneer Don the Beachcomber (1907-1989) is typically a red-letter day for many bartenders and home enthusiasts, who celebrate by mixing up classic tropical cocktails to toast the originator of such iconic drinks<\/a> as the Zombie, Nui Nui, and Three Dots and a Dash. This custom has intensified recently with the announcement of new book and film projects that celebrate the life of times of the creator of what’s now known as Polynesian Pop, aka Tiki culture.<\/p>\n

\"Don<\/a><\/p>\n

Jump to more below<\/strong>
\nSneak peek:<\/strong><\/font> Renderings, video of the new location near Orlando<\/a>
\nBonus recipe below:<\/strong><\/font> Don’s Beach Planter cocktail<\/a><\/p>\n

But the occasion gained special importance this year with the announcement that a Tampa-based hospitality company will begin rolling out a chain of new Tiki-themed restaurants featuring the Don the Beachcomber branding in 2023. According to a press release from 23 Restaurant Services,<\/a> “there are currently two Don the Beachcomber restaurants and bars under development in Central Florida, with the first slated to open by the end of the year.”<\/p>\n

The company’s president, Marc Brown<\/a>, said in the release that he expects as many as 10 to 15 restaurants to be spread across the Southeast over the next several years, with plans to expand nationally. Brown’s company bought the rights to the Don the Beachcomber brand in 2021, aiming to incorporate it into its successful Tiki Docks<\/a> concept in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area.<\/p>\n

\"Ernest<\/a>
Ernest Raymond Gantt, aka Don the Beachcomber, was a former bootlegger who kicked off the Tiki craze with his first bar in Hollywood, Calif., in 1933. Within a few years, imitators sprang up across the country. (Courtesy of 23 Restaurant Services)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The birthday of Donn Beach, who legally changed his name from Ernest Raymond Gantt after the success of his Don the Beachcomber restaurants in the 1930s, seemed like a great time to announce the ambitious plan that 23 Restaurant Services calls “an expansive growth strategy.”<\/p>\n

“Each of the restaurants will feature the eccentric, Polynesian-inspired design and flamboyant, rum-based drinks that have become synonymous with Don the Beachcomber locations for more than 90 years,” the press release says.<\/p>\n

“Don the Beachcomber is the most iconic brand in Tiki history, so it\u2019s impossible to overstate how excited we are about what lies ahead,” Brown said. “We look forward to leveraging our expertise in management and operational excellence to reintroduce the world to the legend that is Don the Beachcomber.”<\/p>\n

\"Searching<\/a><\/p>\n

To accomplish this, 23 Restaurant Services will be guided by an advisory board featuring some of the top artists, writers, and bartenders from the current Tiki scene:<\/p>\n