2016.
I wonder what the average lifespan is for new tiki bars. Lost Lake in Chicago also lasted 7 years. Auntie's/Tikis in Virginia Beach opened a year after Archipelago and seems to be going strong though their now-limited hours makes me wonder if they'll survive another year. On the flipside, Latitude 29 has been open for over 8 years now. Smuggler's Cove, 13, I think. The Tiki Lounge in Pittsburgh has managed to stay open for over 20 years now. What do some get right that others don't? Demographically, I think SF and Pittsburgh are similar to DC.
I think in this case, some of thier problems may have been self-inflicted since it was kind of a PITA going there. Even after other bars in the city were wide open, they kept access... "problematic," to put it lightly, not making it worthwhile for anybody to make the trip if they didn't live next door and effectively telling some would-be customers that they were unwanted. And FWIW, some Yelp reviews will indicate what I assume is a widely-shared feeling from customers about the addition of hidden service fees. I've been to other bars and restaurants in DC that have similar fees, but in all other cases, waiters made the automatic service fee known upfront. Just my opinion, and maybe off base. And it still sucks to lose a cool spot.