The Hungry Tiger
The Hungry Tiger was a chain of seafood restaurants around Southern California. At one point, there were forty-one of them, including one in Westwood Village, another one on Sepulveda near LAX, and yet another on La Brea just South of Hollywood Boulevard. Those were the ones I went to, and I’m not sure why because I never particularly liked the food at them and insofar as I could tell, neither did anyone else. The secret of their success seemed to be location, location, location. They were the only “nice” places to take a date or client in certain areas. For instance, if you picked up someone at the airport and drove south, the Hungry Tiger on Sepulveda was the first “decent” place to dine you encountered. They got a lot of post-funeral traffic from the nearby Hillside Memorial Park, too.
The chain was started in 1962 by, the story goes, a group of former Flying Tigers’ combat pilots. Some of the first outlets resembled hangars more than restaurants and all were decorated with photos of old planes and aviators. I’m not sure many patrons understood the connection.
In the early eighties, business fell off substantially, apparently due to an influx of strong competitors into the marketplace. The Hungry Tiger chain needed to remodel and upgrade but lacked the funds to do this so in 1985, a new management team was brought in, some of the less profitable outlets were closed and a general relaunch was attempted. It failed to turn around public abandonment of the eateries so in the years following, most of them closed and a few went independent. There are still Hungry Tiger restaurants around but not as part of a large chain.
The last time I was in one, it was the one in Westwood. This would have been around 1980. My date and I were going to a play at the Westwood Playhouse and with parking being as difficult and expensive as it was up there, it seemed logical to dine at the Hungry Tiger that was in the same block as the theater. We could park once for both, get validated at the restaurant and…well, you get the idea.
We both ordered the broiled shrimp and when it came, it turned out to be the kind served in the shell…not my favorite way of having shrimp. When they serve it that way, you always seem to spend forever digging the meat out and there isn’t very much of it. These had almost none. My lady friend and I were amazed at how little edible shrimp flesh you got in a serving of Hungry Tiger broiled shrimp. It was barely one mouthful. We mentioned this to our server who called over a manager who basically told us, “That’s our broiled shrimp. If you didn’t get enough to eat, order something else and pay for an additional entree, heh heh.” Those weren’t the precise words he used but they were close. There was definitely no concern that we weren’t happy with our meals. We would have done what he suggested if there had been time before the play, except that (of course) we would have done it at another restaurant.
After the play, we decided to go somewhere and actually eat, rationalizing that at least the hefty tab I’d played at the Hungry Tiger had gotten us our parking at a discount. It turned out that despite the posted signs, the lot no longer honored Hungry Tiger validations and I had to pay full price to get out. The next day, I wasted about an hour calling the restaurant and the corporate offices of Hungry Tiger to complain. The attitude I encountered was along the lines of “If you don’t like it, eat somewhere else.” Thereafter, I did…and wasn’t surprised that so many other people did, as well. Beware any business that names itself after a voracious predator.
14 Responses to The Hungry Tiger
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I miss your restaurant I moved to las vegas for several years and when i came back i could not find you , so do you have another location somewhere i can visit. Thank You
I ate at the one in Lake Forest in 1984 or 85 as a little kid. I remember it took FOREVER for my food to come. The restaurant did have a slightly elegant feel to it. Shortly after that I think the place was renamed HT. Needless to say it’s not there at all anymore. Today an Outback or Bonefish Grill would put it to shame anyway.
This website is great by the way. ;)
For sometime I was a regular at the La Brea location. There was a chef at the oyster bar named Ralph, what a craftsman. I especially enjoyed a dish called Dolby’s Delight and the Chioppino was to dye for. Tommy at the bar made the best Bloody Mary’s in California. I miss that place.
I was a regular customer at the Pasadena Hungry Tiger, and I loved the place. Our food was consistently excellent, and service was over the top excellent every time, both in the lounge and the dining room.
It was my understanding that the chain was created by Flying Tiger Airlines as a subsidiary, and was sold to WR Grace Restaurants when the parent company was in financial trouble. This resulted in at least the Pasadena location being converted to one of Grace’s existing brands, I forget which one. Grace later sold it off, largely because Grace is a lousy company.
I miss that restaurant still, especially when Maine lobsters are in season, and on special.
Hungry Tiger was our favorite eatery as a young married couple – (late 60′s early 70′s?) We invariably sat at the oyster bar at the Westchester location on Sepulveda. The chef at the oyster bar was Dobby. “Dobby’s Delight” was seafood sauted in a wine sauce before your hungry eyes: shrimp, scallops, sliced mushrooms and more. With crusty bread and a cocktail it was an excellent light dinner. We still miss this venue.
When I lived in Costa Mesa they had an old one across the street in South Coast Village for years that was one of the locations they re-vamped and re-opened as HT I think that was the name I never visited it but it failed and closed soon after the re-opening I’m not sure of the exact time line but it was a fast close up. If I remember they tried to upscale the place like a fine dining restaurant I remember it was very fancy looking compared to what it was originally.
We ate many times in the 60s at the Westchester location. They had the freshest lobster in LA bc they flew it in themselves.
I was a regular at the hungry tiger in Westwood and I loved it.
it was a very elegant restaurant, and the service was always super.
nothing like today’s restaurants where everything is fast fast fast even a relaxed restaurant.
in Westwood after going to a play or to a movie you could always go to the hungry tiger get an excellent steak seafood desserts cetera also in Westwood at their bar they had a bartender named David who always remembered your drink even if you came there just wants and no matter how many people are in your group he never forgot what you ordered it was fantastic I really miss the tiger! and the Outback Steakhouse in the others like it cannot compare that to me
In 1972 I used to take my girlfriend out to the location in Sherman Oaks for fancy dates nights. We could each have a whole lobster, though I eventually began to enjoy king crab legs more, with all the trimmings. Salad or a really, really good clam chowder, loafs of sourdough bread. We we’re old enough to drink so it was just a soda. Their lobster was always a $5.95 special. With tax and tip, we had an elegant meal, great food, a romantic setting and it only cost me less than $15.
Score!
I remember the Hungry Tiger fondly. The Sepulveda one was near our house. But then again, I was about 6yo when they closed. Toddlers don’t have refined palates I suppose.
I lived fairly close to the Hungry Tiger on Ventura Blvd. My folks didn’t make a lot of money in the 60s and 70s, but once or twice a year, they would always take my sister and I for lobster. A memory I’ll never forget.
Back in the late 70′s I attended a management seminar at UCLA. I was there for 3-4 days and had my girlfriend fly in to stay with me. The first night, we were exploring Westwood and decided to eat at the Hungry Tiger. I remember that the place was nice, the food was good, and we both enjoyed it. But I guess the most important thing for me was the time spent with my wife (then girlfriend), who I have now lost to cancer. Maybe the restaurant was not that good, but my memories are……
We had a Hungary Tiger here in Fresno, CA. It was absolutely fantastic! They baked their own bread daily and served the best stemmed vegetable medley I’ve ever had. The clam chowder was always fresh and the salads were wonderful. It was the only place in Fresno that you could order fresh Main lobster. In fact, it was the only place in Fresno to obtain lobster. At that time you could not purchase lobsters in grocery stores, no tanks and Red Lobster had not hit California yet. Hungary Tiger had a Midori Margareta that was out of this world. To this day, I ask bartenders to make them for me. Then Red Lobster hit town with their lower prices, pre-fab food and the rest is history. One hung on in Moro Bay for awhile and another near Gilroy. Then, they were gone. I don’t know about the food or service in L.A., but, it wasn’t like that here, Moro Bay or Gilroy. My favorite restaurant then, now and always!
Hungry Tiger restaurants served an outstanding New England clam chowder. Fortunately the recipe was published in a 1971 book called L.A. Gourmet and we can still enjoy it.