Café Fiorello, the Italian restaurant that’s fed Lincoln Center audiences since 1974, is headed for new ownership instead of the history books. Landry’s Inc., Tilman Fertitta’s Houston-based restaurant empire, made a $22 million bid in cash and other considerations for most of Fireman Hospitality Group’s restaurants, which went into Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August, Nation’s Restaurant News reported. FSR Magazine later reported the sale was approved by the bankruptcy court at $22.2 million.
The Details of the Landry’s Café Fiorello Deal
The bid came through FHG Acquisitions, an affiliate of Fertitta Entertainment, which served as the stalking horse bidder, the opening offer that sets the floor in a bankruptcy auction. Landry’s first put $9.5 million on the table, according to FSR Magazine, before the final $22 million offer, which court documents show covered essentially all of Fireman’s assets.
The real prize, though, is a trio of Manhattan flagships: Café Fiorello, Trattoria Dell’Arte across from Carnegie Hall and Bond 45 in the theater district. Those three were Landry’s main focus, according to NRN.
The competing bid came from FHGRF LLC, a lender to the bankrupt company, FSR reported. Fireman CEO Benjamin Grossman held a 35.8% interest in that group, and its proposal would have kept him in the CEO role.
What It Means for Fans of Fiorello and Dell’Arte
For diners who treat Café Fiorello as a pre-show ritual or Trattoria Dell’Arte as their Carnegie Hall mainstay, the deal means those restaurants should keep operating under new ownership rather than disappearing entirely in the bankruptcy process.
Landry’s isn’t going it alone, either. Jeff Crivello, the former CEO of Famous Dave’s, co-bid alongside Landry’s, and his Ciao Hospitality Group will act as the new operator, Eater reported, citing the New York Post. Ciao is also picking up several other Fireman properties, including Paris Bar at Le Méridien Central Park, the rooftop lounge Le Jardin, Brooklyn Delicatessen and two Brooklyn Diner locations.
Crivello told NRN that leases are still being negotiated but that there are no plans to convert the restaurants to other concepts. No details on staffing or day-to-day changes have been announced.
Two D.C.-Area Restaurants Won’t Make the Trip
Not every Fireman restaurant is coming along for the ride. Café Fiorello’s Washington, D.C., outpost on Pennsylvania Avenue, which opened in May 2025, will close permanently after service on Wednesday, Oct. 28, according to Eater. Fiorella Italian Kitchen & Pizzeria at National Harbor in Maryland, open since 2011, is set to close Oct. 29.
How Fireman Hospitality Got Here
Sheldon “Shelly” Fireman opened Café Fiorello across from Lincoln Center in 1974 and built his group around New York’s busiest cultural crossroads, from the theater district to Carnegie Hall. He died in October 2025 at 93.
Less than a year later, on Aug. 9, the company filed for Chapter 11, with its operations consolidated under S.M.F. Group Inc. FSR reported the group had less than $100,000 in available cash when it filed.
Landry’s Portfolio and the Italy Connection
The Fireman restaurants join a Landry’s lineup that already includes Mastro’s Steakhouse, Morton’s The Steakhouse, Del Frisco’s, The Palm, Ocean Club, Rainforest Cafe, Saltgrass Steak House and Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Buying restaurants out of bankruptcy is familiar territory for Landry’s, which picked up Claim Jumper in 2010 and Joe’s Crab Shack parent Ignite Restaurant Group in 2017. The Fireman bid fits that pattern.
Fertitta Entertainment is owned by billionaire Tilman Fertitta, who also owns the Golden Nugget hotel and casino brand and the NBA’s Houston Rockets. And there’s a fitting Italy connection for a deal built on Italian restaurants: Fertitta serves as U.S. ambassador to Italy and San Marino. He agreed to step down as CEO of Landry’s and Fertitta Entertainment to take the post, ABC13 Houston reported.
What’s Next
Café Fiorello DC and Fiorella close Oct. 28 and 29. Neither Landry’s nor Fireman Hospitality Group responded to NRN’s requests for more information.
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