Kon Tiki Nation: Reflecting on Kon Tiki and Chek Wing Joe

A photo of writer Chris Jay, a slim white man who is wearing a baseball cap

by Chris Jay

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Stuffed & Busted recently published our first in a series of videos about local restaurant history. Kon Tiki Nation is a short film documenting the community of former employees who still gather to celebrate their time working for Kon Tiki, a Polynesian restaurant that operated in Shreveport at 5815 Youree Drive, 1970-2008.

Check out the video below and please consider sharing.

We’ve been writing about restaurants in Shreveport, Louisiana since 2009, and during that time we’ve interviewed lots of employees about their bosses. We’ve never heard former employees talk about a restaurant owner the way that members of the Kon Tiki Nation talk about Mr. Chek Wing Joe. Check out the video for an example of just how special the bond between a restaurant’s owner and its staff can be.

This story was produced independently. If you’d like to support the creation of more stories like this, please consider buying the author a taco or sending him $5 via PayPal. If you’d like to advertise on this site, contact Chris at ChrisJay318@gmail.com.

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