‘The family never sold out’: Historic Mai Kai restaurant will reopen in Fort Lauderdale

Beloved South Florida institutions are endangered these days, but one favorite landmark is coming back.

The Mai Kai restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, which has entertained locals and tourists for decades with Polynesian music and dancing, flaming knives and powerful rum drinks, has announced that it is reopening.

The restaurant, which opened in 1956 and is on the National Register of Historic Places, closed in late October 2020 after a flood damaged the kitchen. It was put up for sale in January 2021. The restaurant insisted via its social media that the family hoped to continue the legacy, but there was no guarantee a new owner would stick to that plan.

Now, the Thornton family has formed a partnership that will help with costly kitchen renovations — the work is expected to cost close to $5 million — and return the restaurant back to its former glory. Joining the Mai Kai are real estate investment and development company Barlington Group and Mad Room Hospitality, the proprietors of Ball and Chain in Little Havana and Los Altos.

To Bill Fuller, a South Florida native who co-founded Barlington Group with Martin Pinilla in 2004 and co-founded Mad Room Hospitality with Zack Bush and Ben Bush in 2014, being part of the project is exciting.

“The Mai Kai is the Holy Grail in the tiki subculture on a worldwide level. It’s revered,” said Fuller, who grew up in Miami and traveled north with his family to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and other special events at the restaurant. “It’s so near and dear to our hearts. It’s a passion project. It’s an economic play, too, because that’s what makes businesses successful, but it’s an institution. You walk through those doors, and you felt like you were somewhere else. You were able to escape. They did it better than anybody could have done it.”

Fuller praised how the Mai Kai was built — with materials imported from Tahiti in the 1950s — and estimates it would cost $30 million to reconstruct it from scratch. He also marvels at the persistence of the Thornton family, which never lost sight of what was important.

“We are lovers of history, merging passion for preservation and capital to protect this, but the really beautiful moment is that the family never sold out,” he said. “So many times in legacy businesses, the family will go for the highest and best dollar. That’s the beautiful part — the family cared more about the legacy than the highest investment. That’s the defining moment.”

No date has been set for the reopening, and renovations are due to start soon. But the Thornton family said in a statement that it is thrilled to be able to return to the iconic property.

“We are very excited for this partnership and eagerly anticipate reopening our doors and welcoming back our loyal fan base to enjoy our delicious food, tropical drinks, thrilling entertainment, and unique ambiance that transports visitors to the South Seas,” wrote Kulani Thornton Gelardi, daughter of owner Mireille P Thornton.

This story was originally published September 29, 2021 at 10:17 AM.