Vincent Sardi Jr.

Vincent Sardi Jr. (July 23, 1915 – January 4, 2007) was an American restaurateur who owned and operated Sardi's restaurant, which was founded by his father Vincent Sardi Sr., for more than 50 years. He was dubbed as the "unofficial mayor of Broadway" by The New York Times due to the central presence of his restaurant in the world of Broadway shows.

Biography Sardi was born on July 23, 1915, in Manhattan and spent his early childhood in a railroad flat on West 56th Street before moving to a brownstone at 246 West 44th Street, where his father, Vincent Sardi Sr., founded Sardi's restaurant. In the meantime, Sardi worked at the family business and worked at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel before rejoining Sardi's in 1939 as dining-room captain. He was known for extending lines of credit to unemployed Broadway actors and offered special menus with reduced prices to them.

In 1985, he sold the restaurant to a pair of producers Ivan Bloch and Harvey Klaris and restaurateur Stuart Lichtenstein. He regained ownership of the restaurant in 1991 and due to his failing health, turned the operation of the restaurant to his business partner Max Klimavicius.

Personal life Sardi was an amateur sports car racer, polo player, and skier. He was nicknamed "Cino" by his father.

Sardi was married three times, to Carolyn Euiller (1939–1946), Adelle Rasey, and June Keller. He died on January 4, 2007, at age 91 in Berlin, Vermont. He was a longtime resident of Warren, Vermont at the time of his death. The marquee lights of all Broadway theaters were dimmed for one minute on January 5, 2007, in memory of Sardi.