Chairman’s Row
Wall Street chief executives solidify their exalted status by landing a window seat at San Pietro.
One of the toughest parts of Gerardo Bruno’s day is dealing with the outsized egos of his patrons — some of Wall Street and corporate America’s top CEOs — who flock to his Midtown Manhattan restaurant, San Pietro, for the high-end Italian cuisine and the three tables near the window, a place he calls “the chairman’s row.”
“Most of the time there’s an unwritten law among these guys as to who gets to sit where,” explains Bruno, who opened the bustling establishment with his brothers, Antonio and Cosimo, in 1992. “They know who’s ‘in the moment’ and who should get the best seats. But when they don’t, I have to get to work — and it isn’t easy.”
Bruno is certainly a diplomat, which is why loyal patrons including John Mack, Joe Perella, Ken Langone, Dick Grasso, Jimmy Cayne, Larry Fink, Dick Fuld and just about every other Wall Street heavy hitter continue to frequent the understated trattoria, even if they occasionally get squeezed out of the prime seating. One reason is the scene, arguably the best power lunch in New York: a status symbol for people with, well, a lot of status. And then there’s the food: superb Southern Italian cuisine — such as penne pomodoro with meatballs (one of Mack’s favorites) — cooked up by Antonio Bruno. The entrees are best complemented by the attentive service: Gerardo and Cosimo continually make the rounds, dropping by tables to check on their well-heeled clientele and make sure the place runs like clockwork.
For all these reasons, the clubby eatery, deemed the “best Italian restaurant outside Italy” by that country’s government, has become Wall Street’s most fashionable off-site cafeteria and deal shop. On any given day, every table seems occupied by a power broker, chief executive or political heavyweight. (Perella and BlackRock’s Larry Fink can usually be found at their designated window tables.) One recent evening, David H. Komansky, Merrill Lynch’s former CEO, offered his help to newly installed Merrill chief executive John Thain over a congratulatory dinner here. Meanwhile, a couple of weeks before Morgan Stanley CEO Mack ousted his second-in-command, Zoe Cruz, over bond-market losses, the two shared an intimate meal with their significant others.
No one recognizes the importance of the Manhattan power lunch more than Gerardo Bruno, who has mastered the art of nurturing relationships with Wall Streeters and catering to their needs better than many of his own clients. “Usually, the day before, we have a clear picture of who is coming,” he says. “In the morning, their secretaries call to tell me if they’re coming 10 minutes late so I can be waiting at the door to greet them.”
Bruno is always thinking of new ways to keep his prized clientele happy. He now caters to their homes — and their private jets. “These guys expect the service they’re accustomed to,” he says. “We try not to disappoint them.”
