Around this time next year, Julian Niccolini and Alex von Bidder will be cast out of the historic Midtown space that houses the Four Seasons, and the unstoppable Major Food Group will move in. But now the Post reports that the Midtown restaurateurs are "quietly negotiating" to take over the top floor of 28 Liberty, which sits just a block away from the New York Stock Exchange in the Financial District. Curbed NY notes that this building, which was formerly known as One Chase Manhattan Plaza, is undergoing a massive renovation this year that will cost its new owners at Fosun International Ltd somewhere between $100 million and $200 million.
If Niccolini and von Bidder take over this space, they won't have to hire union staff, which would be a financial perk for the duo. And because they own the name, they could call this new restaurant The Four Seasons, too. The Post notes, however, that Folsun is also in talks with three other "household names" about the restaurant space on the top floor. The Four Seasons team has not commented on the potential deal yet. Stay tuned for more details as they become available.
In other Four Seasons news, Niccolini is still facing a court date for that first degree sexual abuse charge from earlier this year.