In the late 1940s, Stephen Crane in partnership with Al Mathes bought and managed Lucey's New Orleans House, a popular celebrity restaurant, but quickly sold it to live abroad in Europe in 1948. 

Returning to America in the 1950s, Crane opened The Luau, a Polynesian-themed restaurant on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.

Quickly becoming a celebrity hotspot, the Luau was known for its innovative tiki decor and its high-profile customers. 

As the host and owner, Crane became a well-known name in the restaurant industry and tongue in cheek signed his menus as "STEFOOMA, High-Talking Chief of the Luau" in an attempt to keep up with the storied personas of Don the Beachcomber and Trader Vic. 

Crane's graphic designs, on menus, matchbooks, and tableware became synonymous with the popular Polynesian trends of the decade.

Crane expanded his company, Stephen Crane Associates, which at one point included over a dozen different restaurants.

The company became most associated with the Kon-Tiki chain of restaurants after he formed a deal with Sheraton Hotels in 1958 to compete against Hilton Hotel's Polynesian restaurants associated with Trader Vic's.

This Polynesian-themed chain of restaurants were known for their elaborate decor and precise bar service.

Almost every aspect of the elaborate interiors, down to the mugs and napkins, was designed in-house.

Eventually there were Kon-Tikis in Sheraton Hotels for Montreal, Portland, Cleveland, Chicago, Cincinnati, and Honolulu, and potentially others (his obituary read that he had 14 locations in Sheraton Hotels, while also mentioning The Luau and Scam restaurants. 

Boston's restaurant was called Kon-Tiki Ports, and Crane also operated Ports o' Call restaurants in Beverly Hills, Dallas and Toronto.

California remained his favorite state, where he was also involved with Stefaninos in Beverly Hills, Au Petit Jean in Beverly Hills, and 9000 on Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles. 

The Chaparral Club was in Dallas.[10] The Luau and Kon-Tiki restaurants remained popular, iconic restaurants throughout the 1960s and 1970s. 

Stephen Crane retired after selling The Luau in 1978, after which it was shortly torn down.

On February 6, 1985, Crane died in a Pauma Valley hospital in California only a day shy of his 69th birthday. 

Anemia was announced of his cause of death.

While he did contribute to the entertainment field, Crane's legacy lies in his restaurants. 

Crane's innovative and high-profile restaurants helped to solidify the Polynesian pop culture of the 1950s and 1960s and remain symbolic of that legacy

MENU is about 8 x 14