Le Cirque Files for Bankruptcy, But Plans to Stay Open

Ritzy French restaurant Le Cirque has filed for bankruptcy — but the Maccioni family that opened it in the 1974 plans to keep the NYC institution open. Page Six reports that Mauro Maccioni and his father Sirio filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in order to protect the leases for both Le Cirque and Circo. According to the filing, the family owes between $500,000 and $1 million to more than 100 creditors.

Mauro tells Page Six that the family “had a short-term cash-flow issue” and only filed to keep the space at 151 East 58th St. Both Le Cirque and Circo will stay open and function as usual.

The elite restaurant, which has had visitors like Donald Trump, Woody Allen, Martha Stewart, and Robert De Niro, first opened in 1974 and then moved to its current location in the Bloomberg building in May 2006. Restaurateur Sirio Maccioni can still be spotted working as the maitre d’ at Le Cirque regularly. It’s also been the kitchen where chefs like Daniel Boulud and David Bouley rose to fame. Just a couple of months ago, the restaurant brought on esteemed chef Tom Valenti.

But in more recent years, Le Cirque had its share of troubles, including a punishing one-star review from the Times, a sexual harassment lawsuit, and an unpaid wages lawsuit.

Le Cirque has opened outposts around the world, with more planned.

• Iconic NYC eateries file Chapter 11 amid finance restructure [Page Six]