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Overview

The Marina del Rey outlet of Don the Beachcomber operated from 1970 until c. 1995. The building has been remodeled to no longer resemble its original flying saucer appearance.

Building History

Texas-born restaurateur and adventurer Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt (1907-1989, aka "Donn Beach") founded the first Don's Beachcomber bar in Los Angeles at 1722 North McCadden Place during the nadir of the Depression in 1933. He went to open a restaurant nearby at 1727 North McCadden Place in 1937, under the slightly altered name "Don the Beachcomber." This was one of the first, if not the first, restaurant to take on a Polynesian/tropical motif for both decor and cuisine. The restaurant became fashionable, and other locations opened by World War II. While he was in the armed forces providing servicemen with food and entertainment, his wife, Sunny Sund, managed his restaurants, expanding the number to 16. Over the years, at least 12 outlets existed in CA, and at least 25 across the US. Following his divorce from Sund, she retained control over the American restaurants and Gannt moved to Waikiki, Hawaii and began opening other businesses, including another tropical-themed restaurant called "Polynesian Village." He died in Honolulu in 1989.

PCAD id: 22399