David Tallichet
Encyclopedia
David Compton Tallichet Jr. (December 20, 1922 - October 31, 2007) was a United States
businessman, noted as the father of the themed restaurant. He also owned a significant number of classic military aircraft.
, Tallichet graduated from the University of the South in Tennessee
, the University of Texas at Dallas
; and latterly attended the Southern Methodist University
in Texas, but left before completing his English degree.
, he was deployed to Europe
during World War II
, initially flying as co-pilot on a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. His crew became part of the 350th Bombardment Squadron, which joined the 100th Bombardment Group, based at RAF Thorpe Abbotts
, in February 1945. Flying over 20 missions, they flew in an aircraft called Spirit of Pittwood. After the end of hostilities, Tallichet flew transport aircraft on missions supporting the rebuilding of the war-torn continent.
On return to the United States, he joined the New Mexico Air National Guard
, flying the P-51 Mustang
. Tallichet remained on active reserve status in the United States Air Force
until 1957.
. In 1955 he was managing the Lafayette Hotel in Long Beach, California
, which hosted a Miss Universe
beauty pageant; he later married the contestant from Indiana
.
founder George Millay
formed Speciality Restaurants Corporation, a destination-restaurant business. Their first location was a Polynesia
n-themed Reef in Long Beach, CA, the second Castaway in Burbank, CA. At that time, a restaurant with an exotic "theme" was a daring innovation in the then mundane industry. Twenty years later, funny or exotic restaurant themes have become a well accepted part of the American landscape.
Tallichet continued to design, finance and build more than 100 other restaurants across the U.S., including the Proud Bird adjacent to Los Angeles International Airport
, and 94th Aero Squadron near Van Nuys Airport
. Tallichet's experience as a military aviator in World War II had a profound effect on the themes and designs of many of those restaurants.
for $13,000; B-25 Mitchell
bomber; Korean War
MiG jet; P-40 Tomahawk; B-29 bomber; and a Martin B-26 Marauder. Many of the organisations later aircraft were recovered wrecks from the Pacific Ocean
, often around Papua New Guinea
.
Tallichet enjoyed flying his aircraft, and on hearing about the proposed production of the movie Memphis Belle
, offered to fly his own B17 across the Atlantic Ocean
to enable production. At one point numbering over 120 aircraft, he slowly reduced the holding from the late 1990s, to around 50 at the time of his death.
The company also made replica classic military aircraft for use as props in films, including Pearl Harbor
and Collateral Damage
, and which later extended into producing entrance themes for aircraft museums.
, Tallichet died at his home in Orange County, California
of complications from prostate cancer
, on October 31, 2007.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businessman, noted as the father of the themed restaurant. He also owned a significant number of classic military aircraft.
Early life
Born in Dallas, TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, Tallichet graduated from the University of the South in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, the University of Texas at Dallas
University of Texas at Dallas
The University of Texas at Dallas, also referred to as UT Dallas or UTD, is a public research university in the University of Texas System. The main campus is in the heart of the Richardson, Texas, Telecom Corridor, north of downtown Dallas...
; and latterly attended the Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
in Texas, but left before completing his English degree.
US Army Air Forces
Joining the United States Army Air ForcesUnited States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
, he was deployed to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, initially flying as co-pilot on a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. His crew became part of the 350th Bombardment Squadron, which joined the 100th Bombardment Group, based at RAF Thorpe Abbotts
RAF Thorpe Abbotts
RAF Thorpe Abbotts is a former World War II airfield in England. The field is located 4 miles E of Diss in Norfolk.-Overview:Thorpe Abbotts airfield was built during 1942 and early 1943 for the RAF as a satellite airfield for RAF Horham but the rapid buildup of the 8th Air Force resulted in both...
, in February 1945. Flying over 20 missions, they flew in an aircraft called Spirit of Pittwood. After the end of hostilities, Tallichet flew transport aircraft on missions supporting the rebuilding of the war-torn continent.
On return to the United States, he joined the New Mexico Air National Guard
New Mexico Air National Guard
The New Mexico Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is, along with the New Mexico Army National Guard, an element of the New Mexico National Guard...
, flying the P-51 Mustang
P-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
. Tallichet remained on active reserve status in the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
until 1957.
Career
After the end of hostilities in Europe, Tallichet joined the Hilton HotelsHilton Hotels
Hilton Hotels & Resorts is an international chain of full-service hotels and resorts founded by Conrad Hilton and now owned by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton hotels are either owned by, managed by, or franchised to independent operators by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton Hotels became the first coast-to-coast...
. In 1955 he was managing the Lafayette Hotel in Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, which hosted a Miss Universe
Miss Universe
Miss Universe is an annual international beauty contest that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. The pageant is the most publicized beauty contest in the world with 600 million viewers....
beauty pageant; he later married the contestant from Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
.
Restaurants
In 1958, Tallichet and Sea WorldSea World
Sea World is a marine mammal park, oceanarium, and theme park located on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It includes rides, animal exhibits and other attractions, and promotes conservation through education and through the rescue and rehabilitation of sick, injured or orphaned wildlife. The...
founder George Millay
George Millay
George Millay was a United States businessman, founder of SeaWorld and the Wet 'n Wild water parks.In 1958, Millay and two partners that included David Tallichet, formed Speciality Restaurants Corporation, a destination-restaurant business. Their first location was a Polynesian-themed Reef in Long...
formed Speciality Restaurants Corporation, a destination-restaurant business. Their first location was a Polynesia
Polynesia
Polynesia is a subregion of Oceania, made up of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are termed Polynesians and they share many similar traits including language, culture and beliefs...
n-themed Reef in Long Beach, CA, the second Castaway in Burbank, CA. At that time, a restaurant with an exotic "theme" was a daring innovation in the then mundane industry. Twenty years later, funny or exotic restaurant themes have become a well accepted part of the American landscape.
Tallichet continued to design, finance and build more than 100 other restaurants across the U.S., including the Proud Bird adjacent to Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving the Greater Los Angeles Area, the second-most populated metropolitan area in the United States. It is most often referred to by its IATA airport code LAX, with the letters pronounced individually...
, and 94th Aero Squadron near Van Nuys Airport
Van Nuys Airport
Van Nuys Airport is a public airport located in Van Nuys in the San Fernando Valley section of the city limits of Los Angeles, California, United States. No major commercial airlines fly into this airport; it is used by private, chartered, and small commercial aircraft...
. Tallichet's experience as a military aviator in World War II had a profound effect on the themes and designs of many of those restaurants.
Military Aircraft Restoration Corp
Tallichet formed Military Aircraft Restoration Corp., a subsidiary of the restaurant company, to manage his vintage aircraft collection. Inspired by a trip to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in the early 1960s, his first purchases were: P-51 MustangP-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
for $13,000; B-25 Mitchell
B-25 Mitchell
The North American B-25 Mitchell was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.The B-25 was named...
bomber; Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
MiG jet; P-40 Tomahawk; B-29 bomber; and a Martin B-26 Marauder. Many of the organisations later aircraft were recovered wrecks from the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, often around Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
.
Tallichet enjoyed flying his aircraft, and on hearing about the proposed production of the movie Memphis Belle
Memphis Belle (film)
Memphis Belle is a 1990 film directed by Michael Caton-Jones and written by Monte Merrick, starring Matthew Modine and Eric Stoltz and introducing Harry Connick Jr. in his screen debut...
, offered to fly his own B17 across the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
to enable production. At one point numbering over 120 aircraft, he slowly reduced the holding from the late 1990s, to around 50 at the time of his death.
The company also made replica classic military aircraft for use as props in films, including Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor (film)
Pearl Harbor is a 2001 American action drama war film directed by Michael Bay and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Randall Wallace, who wrote the screenplay...
and Collateral Damage
Collateral Damage (film)
Collateral Damage is a 2002 American action film that tells the story of a Los Angeles firefighter, Gordon Brewer , who looks to avenge his son's and wife's deaths at the hands of a guerrilla commando, by traveling to Colombia and facing his family's killers.-Plot:A bomb is detonated in the plaza...
, and which later extended into producing entrance themes for aircraft museums.
Personal life
Tallichet was married to Cecilia, and the couple who lived in Long Beach had four children: John, Catherine Ann, William, James and grandchildren Ashley, Catherine, Bryan, and Lauren. The brother-in-law of film director William WylerWilliam Wyler
William Wyler was a leading American motion picture director, producer, and screenwriter.Notable works included Ben-Hur , The Best Years of Our Lives , and Mrs. Miniver , all of which won Wyler Academy Awards for Best Director, and also won Best Picture...
, Tallichet died at his home in Orange County, California
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
of complications from prostate cancer
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...
, on October 31, 2007.