The owners of the Four Seasons don't want to travel far for their next restaurant project. Bloomberg reports that Alex von Bidder and Julian Niccolini, who have run the power lunch spot for decades, have limited their search to spaces within a five minute walking distance of the original. The duo is leaving 99 East 52nd St. in July to make room for Major Food Group's takeover of the landmarked restaurant, and their new project will open about a year after, von Bidder says. "What we’re hoping is that absence makes the heart grow fonder," he tells Bloomberg.
Niccolini and Von Bidder were previously in talks to open a restaurant in the Financial District or in a tower at 280 Park Ave., but von Bidder did not confirm those possibilities. The duo's final service in the Four Seasons will be on July 16, with charity dinners, furniture auctions, and staff parties. Have you heard word of where they're in talks to reopen? Send it to the tip line.