Don’s Beachcomber Café officially opened on December 5th, 1933 at 1722 N. McCadden Place in the lobby of the McCadden Hotel in Hollywood, California. When the bar moved across the street to 1727 N. McCadden Place, Donn began serving Cantonese food. This in combination with serving Caribbean based cocktails was an odd combination, so why did he do it? Firstly, the cocktails were Caribbean based because the cost of rum was much lower than the cost of whiskey or gin. Rum was produced in the Caribbean so it was unaffected by the rise and fall of prohibition in the United States and thus, there was no economic effect to it’s production. Don naturally chose rum because it was the cheapest way to start his bar. Secondly, the business occupying the space at 1727 N. McCadden Place was a failed Cantonese restaurant. When Donn took over the space, it is speculated that he kept the former staff of said restaurant in place and transitioned the business over. Another natural, cost saving business decision!
