Donn Beach (February 22, 1907 – June 7, 1989),
born Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt, is the acknowledged founding father of tiki restaurants, bars and nightclubs. Gantt, a Limestone County, Texas native, had left home in 1926 and traveled around the world on his own, scouring many of the islands of the Caribbean and the South Pacific.
A former bootlegger during Prohibition he moved to Hollywood in the 1930s. Gantt opened a bar called "Don's Beachcomber Cafe" in 1934. He mixed potent rum cocktails in his tropically decorated bar. This was such an escape from everyday life, it quickly gained popularity, especially with Hollywood celebrities.
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