Tribeca Grill, the storied room that Robert De Niro and Drew Nieporent opened in 1990, closed last year: Now, it’s looking like Major Food Group is close to taking it over. The group behind Carbone in Greenwich Village, the Grill in Midtown, and Torrisi in Little Italy is reportedly on the verge of signing a lease alongside hoteliers Ira Drukier and Richard Born, behind Hotel Chelsea, the Bowery, and the Greenwich. This tentative takeover comes after prolific restaurateur and chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten took at run at the space before walking away from plans for an Alsatian restaurant.
“We are in the process of trying to finalize the lease, and we would like to try to keep the name,” Drukier told Eater, adding that the culinary vision would stay largely intact. “It would be the same theme — a grill for people to eat in on a regular basis.” The decor will likely change. “The style that was popular at the time looks a little dated now, so we would bring it up to a modern look.”
The restaurant at 375 Greenwich Street, between Franklin and North Moore streets, earned its legend over three decades — Sean Penn, Bruce Springsteen, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Meryl Streep, Bill Murray, and Nelson Mandela all passed through. JFK Jr. celebrated his 35th birthday there, and he and Carolyn Bessette were regulars.
Tribeca Grill closed almost exactly a year ago last March. It had grown into a clubhouse for cultural events, from informal celebrity drop-ins to the unofficial restaurant of the Tribeca Festival, which De Niro co-founded in 2001. The restaurant auction was held earlier this month.
This would mark a new direction for Major Food Group as it expands in locations around the world. The company is also promoting its jarred sauce nationwide, a significant revenue source, with an 80 percent year-over-year sales growth, placing it among the top ten best-selling brands in its category, Forbes reported.