John DeLucie Parts Ways With the Historic King Cole Bar at the St. Regis

Restaurateur John DeLucie, who stepped in to transform the St. Regis Hotel's storied King Cole Bar (famed for its King Cole mural, and for inventing the bloody mary) to the King Cole Bar & Salon back in October of 2013, has just parted ways with the venue, and word is that the hotel has been interviewing other name chefs to fill the position. A DeLucie rep confirms, "John had a contract and it is up." An employee of the hotel's lounge confirms that executive chef Baasim Zafar is also gone, but says "I don't know who the new chef will be.''

Things have been a little rocky in DeLucie's empire recently. His ritzy Upper East Side restaurant Crown was recently forced to close, after the landlord decided to sell the building, and he's in the middle of a protracted battle with his business partner Sean Largotta over $100,000 in misused funds. All this may not have anything to do with his departure from King Cole, but it does all add up.