Back to Results
Photograph

Kayla Skinner and Harry Wong at Trader Vic's restaurant, June 20, 1991

Order an Image
Trader Vic's was a Polynesian-themed chain restaurant founded in 1934 by Victor Jules Bergeron, Jr. (1902-1984) in California. The first franchised Trader Vic's opened in Seattle in 1949, and the chain expanded quickly during the Tiki culture fad of the 1950s and 1960s. The Seattle restaurant moved to the Washington Plaza Hotel (now the Westin) in 1969, and closed in June 1991.

Here, long-time customer Kayla Skinner poses with manager Harry Wong (1924–1995) at Trader Vic's the day before its closing. Harry Wong was manager of the Seattle Trader Vic's and its predecessor establishment, The Outrigger, for 39 years. Known for his hospitality and his sense of humor, Wong was beloved by Trader Vic's regulars. The following night he presided over the Trader Vic's closing night party, where 400 loyal customers paid $100 each to benefit charity. Harry Wong retired after Trader Vic's closed.

Caption information source: "Trader Vic's: Closing Night Brings Memories" by Nancy Bartley, Seattle Times, June 24, 1991, retrieved at https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19910624&slug=1290902
ID Number: 2000.107.232.27.02
Date: 1991
Creator(s): Brown, Paul Joseph, Photographer
Physical Description: 1 photographic print : b&w ; 11 x 7.5 in.
Credit: MOHAI, Seattle Post-Intelligencer Collection, 2000.107.232.27.02, photo by Paul Joseph Brown
Copyright: All Rights Reserved