during the tiki culture fad of the 1950s and 1960s, as many as 25 trader vic's restaurants were in operation worldwide. they all featured the popular mix of polynesian artifacts, unique cocktails, and exotic cuisine. the chain of restaurants grew and is credited as one of the first successful themed chains, a marketing model that many other restaurants followed. in 1972 the original location in oakland was closed and replaced by a bayfront restaurant in nearby emeryville, now considered the chain's flagship restaurant. in the 1980s and 1990s, the chain began to shrink as a younger generation had little connection to the chain's tiki theme. poor locations or less trendy addresses took a toll on the chain's popularity. while many of the original locations have closed, trader vic's once again has grown to 18 locations around the globe due to a revival in popularity of tiki culture. as of 2018 there are three trader vic's restaurants in the united states, two in europe, eleven in the middle east, two in east asia, and one in seychelles. the trader vic's corporation also franchises restaurants and bars under the names the mai tai lounge, trader vic's island bar & grill (which opened in 2010 in sarasota, florida, and shuttered in 2013 - where the company experimented with a hooters-like concept but not a true hooters knockoff), and señor pico, which take the total restaurant count up to 28.