Empire State Building Getting New Restaurant Next Year

The Empire State Building is getting itself a new restaurant. The building's owner Malkin Holdings LLC has partnered with Patina Restaurant Group (behind the Cucina & Co in Macy's and Rockefeller Center) to open a 100-seat, ground floor restaurant. According to the Wall Street Journal (subscription required), the as-yet-unnamed restaurant should open at the end of 2013.

For what it's worth, It sounds like the target demo here is workers from the building rather than tourists. Anthony Malkin tells the Journal: "Six years ago, if I had spoken to [Patina head] Nick Valenti about doing this, he would have said, 'Tony, it would be a disaster. No one in your building would come to my restaurant.' And now, it's exciting."
· What's the Deal [WSJ via Grub Street]
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