Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
Felonious Ciprianis Keep Liquor Licenses
By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 7, 2008
Modified Aug 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 7, 2008
Modified Aug 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
They may have mob ties and a history of tax evasion, but the Ciprianis have been allowed to hold onto their liquor license after the omnipotent State Liquor Authority accepted a settlement offer from the family, who operate luxurious restaurants and catering halls in Manhattan. One of Cipriani's owners, Arrigo Cipriani, previously pleaded guilty to felony tax evasion charges, and state law prohibits convicted felons from obtaining liquor licenses.
A minor technicality! Yesterday the SLA voted 2 to 1 to accept half a million dollars from Ciprianis, with two board members overruling the Authority’s chairman, Daniel B. Boyle, who had been threatening to revoke the license and deprive the city’s elite of $20 Bellini cocktails and other extravagant social lubricants. The decision came on the same day that the Post published a desperate plea for mercy from columnist Steve Cuozzo, who worried that Cipriani would close immediately without a liquor license, costing “over 1,000 jobs.”
Indeed, the two majority voters on the SLA expressed concern about the potential job loss if the restaurants and catering halls were closed, according to the Times. Moving forward, the Ciprianis are now pressing the city to designate the Rainbow Room as a landmark; they’re filing the formal request today and claiming that Tishman Speyer, the landlord of 30 Rockefeller Plaza, wants to turn the famed nightclub into offices. A spokesman for Tishman Speyer tells the Times that’s not true, but an unnamed Cipriani executive insists the landlord has been disgusted by the “shabby state” of the Rainbow Room since the Ciprianis took over.
Tagged
cipriani
liquor license
rainbow room
sla
state liquor authority
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE food
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian food is delicious but underrepresented in the city.
By
Robert Sietsema
Published Oct 10, 2026
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Food
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
By
Sonia Rao
5 NYC banana puddings as good as Magnolia's
By
Hannah Frishberg
Where to eat in Greenpoint, Brooklyn right now, from Polish to Sichuan to Iberian
By
Robert Sietsema
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .