Trader Vic's Closing-for now

Phil Vettel

December 3, 2005

The bad news is that Trader Vic's, a fixture in the Palmer House Hilton hotel since
1957, will close at the end of the year.

The good news is that it may not stay closed for long.

Trader Vic's canceled its management contract with the Palmer House, effective Jan.
1. But according to Trader Vic's President and CEO Hans Richter, the company is
about to sign a deal with a Chicago developer to build and operate a new Trader
Vic's.

"We're committed to a new party, and are very much looking forward to finding
a new location," Richter said, adding that two locations are being considered.
"I'm optimistic that we're moving forward, and it makes me extremely happy
to know there's a future for Trader Vic's in Chicago."


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Trader Vic's is one of my favorite bars in Chicago. When they're on their game they make a great Suffering Bastard(a salad in a glass). I enjoy the pork products roasted in giant kettles. I dig the Russian waitresses.

It's beyond me how a pedigreed bar in a storied hotel can fail, but they've been running Trader Vic's into the ground for years. They have a captive audience, don't they? They're the hotel bar for chrissake!

-odd hours, recently, indifferently-concocted drinks, too much business crowd sports bar pandering-

They appeared to be getting back on their feet after supposedly firing a manager(who screwed up the booking for at least one evening office party). Too bad. I really don't see Trader Vic's working elsewhere(how long did that Wicker Park tiki lounge last? 5 minutes?) and dread the possibility of a standalone, bloated tourist hotspot.

feh

The last night is New Year's Eve, which has started me thinking...

Hammond

if the last night is NYE, i am going.

anyone else want to join us? An LTH newyears party perhaps?

Erik.

SushiGaijin wrote:if the last night is NYE, i am going.

anyone else want to join us? An LTH newyears party perhaps?

Erik.

That's kind of what I was thinking of...though it's a little too far in the future to plan for sure. I'm definitely considering it.

Hammond

A New Years @ Trader Vic's sounds really cool. I don't have any plans, but I'm also not sure if I'll be back in town by then. I do know that I'm itching to drink there one last time.

Christopher Gordon wrote:Phil Vettel


It's beyond me how a pedigreed bar in a storied hotel can fail, but they've been running Trader Vic's into the ground for years. They have a captive audience, don't they? They're the hotel bar for chrissake!

-feh

Well they are the hotel bar but they're not really in the mainstream of traffic through the hotel OR for people walkin' state or wabash... they're tucked down into the 1st basement level, as I recall. And just a couple glass doors so once you get down there it definitely has a "dead" vibration...

They need a better location, more glass, more visibility, more traffic, IMO.

Well...they do have signage in the lobby. I've never received a "dead" vibe there, maybe an early evening lull, but not "dead." Sometimes it's actually packed, this doesn't guarantee good service or attentive mixology. The s/o thinks they'll retain their ambience in a move, but I'm of the mind that Lincoln Park smells of trixie doom.