Meet the Man Who Has Been Frequenting Sardi's for 77 Years

Today the Times runs a sweet piece on William Herz, the most regular of regulars at Midtown institution Sardi's—he's been going for 77 years. At the age of 93, the Broadway veteran has been frequenting the restaurant longer than any waiter has worked there and is one of the few diners that can remember former proprietor Vincent Sardi, Sr. A highlight:

Shortly before a play he had produced closed after just a week at the Lyceum Theater in 1940, Mr. Herz was eating at Sardi’s when Vincent Sr. asked him to join him for dessert and coffee. "And he said to me, ‘I know your show is closing,’ ” Mr. Herz recalled. “He said, ‘I just want you to keep coming to Sardi’s, and don’t worry about the bill.’ So I burst into tears, and that’s why I’ve been a customer of Sardi’s for so long.