Everybody who was anybody in New York went to Elaine's Restaurant. It was a sign of status. Journalists, police officers, movie actors and authors were among the establishment's frequent guests. Six months after the death of its owner, Elaine Kaufman, the restaurant has decided it cannot work. The business will close after May 26th at 4 a.m.
“The truth is, there is no Elaine’s without Elaine,” the manager, Diane Becker, told the New York Times. “The business is just not there without Elaine.”
Kaufman passed away on Dec. 3, 2010 from complications of emphysema at age 81. She left most of her estate and the restaurant to Becker. Business, however, has languished after the proprietor's death and Becker has decided to put the two buildings that house the restaurant on the market.
In 1963, Kaufman opened the restaurant with just $12,000. It instantly attracted famous writers and New York celebrities like Norman Mailer, Kurt Vonnegut, Gay Talese, Nora Ephron and David Halberstam, who came for dinner and stayed long into the evening.
Over the years, the restaurant became famous in pop culture. Billy Joel included the lines "And they were all impressed with your Halston dress/And the people that you knew at Elaine's" in his 1980s classic "Big Shot."
Though unremarkable for the food, Kaufman's personality kept the New York celebrities returning for more. Needless to say, the community is slightly poorer without this landmark.
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