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CiprianiS.A. is an Italian hotel and leisure company domiciled inLuxembourg that owns and operates luxury restaurants and clubs around the world includingHarry's Bar in Venice and formerly theRainbow Room in New York City. It specialises in simple, traditional Italian food.
Cipriani S.A. traces its history to family patriarchGiuseppe Cipriani, (1900–1980)[1] who foundedHarry's Bar in Venice in 1931.According to the company history, Harry Pickering, a youngBostonian, had been frequentingHotel Europa in Venice, where Giuseppe Cipriani was a bartender. When Pickering explained that he was broke because his family had found out his drinking habits and cut him off financially, Cipriani loaned Pickering 10,000 lire (about $500 US [$7,839 in 2015 dollars]). Two years later, Pickering returned to the hotel bar, ordered a drink, and gave Cipriani 50,000 lire in return. "Mr. Cipriani, thank you," he said, according to the Cipriani website. "Here's the money. And to show you my appreciation, here's 40,000 more, enough to open a bar. We will call it Harry's Bar."
Harry's Bar became a popular spot for celebrities likeErnest Hemingway andHumphrey Bogart. Mr. Cipriani created theBellini cocktail there, and the food dishCarpaccio is also reputed to have originated there.
Giuseppe's son Arrigo Cipriani (born 1932) is the majority owner. Arrigo is Italian for Harry.[1] His sonGiuseppe Cipriani (born 1965) is the main business manager.
In 1958, the elder Cipriani built theHotel Cipriani in Venice. In 1967, Cipriani Sr. sold rights to the Cipriani name trademark.[2]
The family went international in 1985 under the Cipriani name when it opened Harry Cipriani in New York City in theSherry-Netherland Hotel.[3] Within two years the family was evicted from the hotel and opened the Cipriani Bellini bar nearby.[1] Eventually they would return to the hotel.
In 1997, the Ciprianis bought55 Wall Street, noted for its huge ornate formerFirst National Bank lobby. They sold it in 1999 and bought theBowery Savings Bank's110 East 42nd Street building across from Grand Central, again noted for its huge ornate lobby.[4] 55 Wall Street Cipriani's, Grand Central Cipriani's and Cipriani Tribeca were designed by Anthony Morali of Morali Architects.[5]
In 1998, they leased the Rainbow Room, performed minor modification / major gutting of the 87' Rockefeller Restoration and fired the members of Local 6 of theHotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union which picketed it. The labor dispute was settled in 1999, resulting in a recall of the displaced Local 6 employees for 10 years until 2009, when Cipriani was evicted by the owner / operator Tishman Speyer.
In 2005, the company won the rights from theHudson River Park board to developPier 57 into Leonardo's, a luxury complex that included a museum, catering hall, shops, restaurants, a rooftop pool and a public park.[6] Their principal competition was theChelsea Piers, just north of Pier 57.[7] After winning the bid, Michael DiLeonardo, an associate ofPeter Gotti, turned state's evidence against the accused mobster. In his testimony, DiLeonardo said that the Ciprianis had paid $120,000 to theGambino crime family to make union problems at the Rainbow Room disappear.[8] The charges were never confirmed. However, the Ciprianis were unsuccessful in firing the union workers. The Ciprianis relinquished their rights to develop the pier after co-investors in the project withdrew.[3][9]
In April 2004, Cipriani opened in London. The site on Davies Street in Mayfair was co-founded and established byFabrizio Cerina of the Swiss banking group Credit des Alpes, who also acted as strategic advisor to Cipriani in the sale and leaseback of the Saxony Hotel, Miami in 2009, one of the biggest ever property deals in Miami.[10]
In 2006, in partnership with attorney and real estate developerSteve Witkoff, Cipriani bought 55 Wall Street again.[4]
Arrigo and Giuseppe pleaded guilty in 2007 to misdemeanor tax evasion for defrauding $3.5 million in state and city taxes for six years beginning in 1998. They were placed on probation through 2011 and an independent auditor was assigned to monitor future payments.[3]
In December 2008, the High Court of England and Wales ruled thatOrient-Express Hotels (which owns the Hotel Cipriani) owns the Cipriani trademark and that the use of "Cipriani" in the name of the London restaurant infringed its trademark rights.[2][11] The decision was upheld on appeal by the Court of Appeal on 24 February 2010, which ordered that the restaurant's name would have to be changed by 24 April 2010.[12] The new name of the restaurant is "C".[13]
In January 2009, the Ciprianis announced plans to close the Rainbow Room in a dispute with the owner of 30 Rock,Tishman Speyer Properties. Tishman in turn responded that it was evicting the Ciprianis from the Rainbow Room.[14]
Casa Cipriani opened in theBattery Maritime Building in September 2021 and in that same month, the company announced a new restaurant within Grand Central Terminal.[15][16]
In 2025, Cipriani is facing financial difficulties due to property developments in Uruguay and Dubai. French billionaireXavier Niel provided a significant loan to support the company.[17]