Skipper Kent's, San Francisco & Zombie Village, Oakland 1960s
Free Shipping In The US
Frank ‘Skipper’ Kent was a pioneering restaurateur who opened the iconic tiki bar and restaurant Zombie Village in Oakland in May 1942, and later his namesake Skipper Kent's in San Francisco in 1944.
Born in San Francisco one month after the 1906 earthquake, Kent started his career as a salesman for a baking products company and began building his own yacht. A few years later, he and his wife Lucille began to take sailing trips to far-flung destinations such as Indonesia, the West Indies and the South Pacific. They also lived for a time in Kona, Hawaii.
They brought back souvenirs of their many travels and, in the 1940s and back on dry land, Kent established Zombie Village.
This was nearly a decade after Ernest Gannt, who changed his name by deed poll to Donn Beach, opened the world's first tiki bar ‘Don the Beachcomber’ bar in Hollywood, California, in 1933.
Victor Bergeron opened the first Trader Vic's in 1934 in Oakland, California. Originally a tiny beer and burger joint named Hinky Dink's, Bergeron transformed the space with tropical decor and renamed it ‘Trader Vic's’ after being inspired by Tiki pioneer Don the Beachcomber
Kent, who described himself as a traveler, lecturer, explorer, yachtsman and cinematographer, became as enamored of the South Seas fantasy as his predecessors. He explained on the back of this menu that all the decorations and curios displayed in his kitschy Bay Area establishments were collected by him.
‘In our two rum bars and restaurants, you can see the world’s largest private collection of native weapons, glass balls, rums and rare liqueurs,’ he said, and pointed out that all the rum drinks on the menu were from his own private recipes.
Kent expanded his mid-century tropical restaurant empire into six establishments. As well as Zombie Village and Skipper Kent’s, he opened The Skipper in South Berkeley, California, the West Indies in Reno, Nevada and two Polynesian Villages in Chicago and Boston.
The original Skipper Kent's Zombie Village in Oakland was destroyed by a fire in 1967, and Kent died the following year. We’re not sure when his other establishments closed.
Each order includes a print of the interior menu.
All printed in USA.
