[4] It is the last restaurant in existence carrying on the traditions of service and serving the original drink recipes of Don the Beachcomber, and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

They visited Don the Beachcomber in Chicago as children and even at that young age said they wanted to open a similar place.

While attending college at Stanford University they often visited Trader Vic's restaurant in San Francisco.

Still less than 30 years old, they decided to open a Polynesian restaurant in an undeveloped area of Oakland Park, a suburb of Fort Lauderdale.

It quickly became one of the top-grossing restaurants in the United States, and for many years it sold more rum than any other location in Florida.

[7] When the brothers opened the Mai-Kai they hired away number 2 chef Lin Ark Lee, known as Kenny Lee, number 2 bartender Mariano Licudine, maitre d' Andy Tanato and seating captain and purchasing agent Robert Van Dorpe from the Chicago Don the Beachcomber, along with many staff members.

[10] As of 2014 the restaurant was run by Bob's stepson David Levy as CEO and his stepdaughter Kulani Thornton Gelardi as CFO.

It now includes eight dining rooms, a bar, a stage in the center of the restaurants to showcase the Polynesian Islander Revue floor show, a gift shop, and tropical gardens.

The surrounding gardens feature walking paths through tropical vegetation, simulated rock formations, waterfalls, ponds, and Tiki statues.

Much of the original collection of Polynesian artifacts was donated to the Thortons' alma mater, Stanford University, in the 1970s.