The Broadway theatre would never have been the same without Sardi's:
Plays have been written and entirely financed at Sardi's and hit shows have celebrated their opening at Sardi's. To hang your drawing on the wall at Sardi's is to make your mark on the history of the American Stage.
Vincent and Eugenia Sardi founded Sardi’s Restaurant in May 1921 on
West 44th Street in the heart of the theatrical district.
Broadway’s unofficial Hall of Fame started in 1927 when, due to the Great Depression, Mr. Sardi began brainstorming about ideas on how to increase business. He remembered Joe Zelli’s in Paris, where the walls were covered with caricatures of celebrity patrons. Mr. Sardi hired Alex Gard (1900-1948), a Russian refugee who pledged to exchange caricatures for two meals a day. Gard drew 720 caricatures for Sardi's over the next 20 years. These caricatures have become one of Sardi's world famous trademarks. Upon Alex Gard’s death, Bob Macky and Don Bevan succeeded him. The current caricaturist, Richard Baratz, continues to draw an average of 30 caricatures a year.
In a world of constant change, Sardi’s has managed to remain the “Toast of Broadway” while keeping the same charm and success in New York’s competitive restaurant industry. The Sardi Team has a simple explanation for this… “We treat stars like ordinary people and ordinary people like stars.”
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