8. CEO Ira Neimark tried to put Cipriani restaurant on 7th floor
In 1984, former Bergdorf Goodman CEO Ira Neimark attempted to get a Cipriani restaurant on the seventh floor. Neimark actually brought Cipriani to the U.S. after going to its original outpost Harry’s Bar in Venice. Neimark saw a gap in the market — since high-end restaurants seemed to be disappearing from the area — and tried to convince Arrigo Cipriani to open a restaurant in the store. Although he refused, he opened a restaurant in the Sherry Netherland, located directly across from the store.
Today, Cipriani has five locations in New York and 18 locations worldwide. Cipriani also collaborated with the imaginative team at Moment Factory on SuperReal, an immersive digital art show in June which dazzled audiences with mind-bending visuals projected on the interior of the landmarked Cunard Building.