When news broke Wednesday that the Kon-Tiki, a downtown Oakland cocktail spot, will close Dec. 22 after seven years of mai tais and shrimp tacos, it seemed like only the latest struggling operation to throw in the bar towel.
But the closure drew added attention Friday morning, when the bar’s Instagram account roared to life with a blistering message aimed at the Oakland Police Department, mean and incompetent city officials, “bonehead” employees, and “Karen M on Yelp” who “wishes you’d close because a server forgot her mayo.” The rant noted that business has been slow, but the combination of break-ins and burdensome regulatory requirements, like training mandates, is what ultimately did in the bar.
Comments on the post were turned off. The Standard reached out to the Kon-Tiki for details, and owner Christ (“crist”) Aivaliotis confirmed that he wrote the message. His heartbreaking tirade resembles an October rant from Michelin-starred chef Peter Hemsley of the recently closed South of Market restaurant Aphotic. Hemsley’s post decried the lack of business at the Moscone Center and Aphotic’s location near the “ugly butt end of a desolate convention center suck hole.”
Named for Thor Heyerdahl’s boat used in his 1947 adventure across the Pacific, the Kon-Tiki is known for rum- and pisco-forward tropical drinks with names like Virgin’s Sacrifice and Crater of Excalbia. Tiki culture, with its casual blending of Caribbean and South Pacific influences, has faced a backlash in recent years for alleged cultural appropriation.
Problematic associations aside, the Kon-Tiki owner anticipated questions about the fate of the bar’s lively interior and glassware, announcing a “carcass-picking” at an unspecified date. “Don’t ask to buy our decorations and shit,” the post read. “It’s rude.”
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Reached for comment, Aivaliotis reaffirmed the thrust of the post, the tone of which he described as “spicy.” He also distinguished his love for Oakland from his frustration with the bureaucracy of city government. As he and team were constantly trying play triage with everything that went wrong, the Kon-Tiki simply ran out of operating capital. “It’s not Oakland’s fault,” he said. “It’s a heap of other things.”
Aivaliotis was a co-owner of Palmetto, another downtown Oakland bar that closed in October 2023. He also owns Little Hill Lounge in El Cerrito, which he described as “thriving.”
In spite of his love for the city and its residents, Aivaliotis’ message strongly suggested the near-impossibility of succeeding as a small business in Oakland. “It has been an awful, unforgiving job running this place in this town. The shit piles on without respite or relief,” the post said. “Don’t do this unless you’re already rich.”
This post has been updated with additional comment from owner Christ Aivaliotis.