British-born Keith McNally rose from working-class London’s East End to become king of New York City’s inner-city dining scene.
And the influential restaurateur, who owns a number of establishments including celebrity hotspot Balthazar in SoHo, Manhattan, is famous for his no-nonsense approach to diva stars.
The outspoken chef, who confronted James Corden about his “abusive” behavior towards waiters, has rules for his waiters, including not giving stars special treatment.
The fiery restaurateur, a twice-divorced father of five, branded James Corden the “tiny dimwit of a man” after claiming the Late Late Show host yelled “like crazy” at the staff over an omelette and fries – and before free drinks demanded ‘this second’ at Balthasar.
McNally is no stranger to putting celebrities in their place. Famous for refusing to give stars special treatment, in 1986, while running Manhattan nightclub Nell’s, he turned Madonna away because she refused to pay the entrance fee.
Telling the story, he told the Guardian: “Every customer had to pay $5 to come in. Madonna, used to waltzing into clubs for free, refused to pay, so I didn’t let her in.
“She was so mad she called me a ‘f**king b*****d.’
And McNally has shared how he likes to hand out champagne to individual guests to make them feel comfortable — “but never to Al Pacino.”
McNally, 71, built his reputation as “the restaurateur who invented downtown” by opening a number of upscale restaurants in Manhattan, including Cafe Luxembourg, Odeon, Minetta Tavern, Morandi, Lucky Strike, Pravda and Pastis.
Keith McNally, 71, built his reputation as “the restaurateur who invented downtown” by opening a string of upscale restaurants in New York
McNally moved to New York to become an actor in 1975 after starring in Alan Bennett’s Forty Years On in the West End – but he started working in restaurants
The owner insists that waiters should never rush a guest and shouldn’t give special treatment to the stars. He is seen at the restaurant with Anna Wintour
Its celebrity-loved restaurants draw the likes of Mick Jagger, Cher and Andy Warhol, but the McNally has rules for dealing with customers at its restaurants — including not giving celebs special treatment.
“Never give them drinks on the house, always talk more to the person they’re with,” he told the Sunday Times.
“Famous people are really annoyed by over-the-top service. They just want to be left alone.’
Not hovering around tables and constantly repeating orders to customers to ensure no mistakes are made are also part of McNally’s strict requirements he places on his servers to ensure diners have the best experience at the restaurant .
“Be friendly but never chummy,” he began in a lengthy Instagram post titled “Restaurant Service Rules.”
“Keep repeating the customer’s order back to them. Skate sounds like steak after a martini.’
McNally built his reputation as “the restaurateur who invented downtown” by opening a number of upscale restaurants in Manhattan, including Cafe Luxembourg, Odeon, Minetta Tavern, Morandi, Lucky Strike, Pravda, and Pastis.
Mr Mcnally with Dorinda Medley and Sienna Miller at the Balthazar
Balthazar owner Keith McNally regularly shares updates from his staff – including, on Monday, James Corden’s sentencing for his conduct
The restaurant, pictured Monday, is a popular spot for celebrities, tourists and locals alike – everyone from Anna Wintour to Sienna Miller has eaten at Balthazar
McNally was born in Bethnal Green, east London, in 1951 to Joyce, a cleaning lady, and Jack, a docker and amateur boxer.
Before turning to restaurants, McNally worked as an actor after the 16-year-old was discovered by American film producers in 1967 while working as a bellboy at the Hilton on Park Lane.
He was cast in a Charles Dickens film with Michael Redgrave before spending a year in Alan Bennett’s Forty Years On at the Apollo Theater in the West End.
He then traveled through India and Afghanistan before returning to London where he worked on The Rocky Horror Show’s lighting board and as a stage manager at the Nell Gwynne strip club in Soho, the only job he was ever fired from.
In 1975 he moved to New York where he intended to be a manager but soon turned to restaurants after working a series of kitchen jobs from oyster vendor to waiter.
Five years later he opened his first restaurant, the Odeon in Tribeca, with his first wife Lynn Wagenknecht and his brother Brian, with whom he had been feuding for many years.
James Corden and his wife Julia Carey have been accused of sending back an egg yolk omelet while dining at upmarket Balthazar restaurant because it contained “a little egg white”. The situation then got worse when it came back with fries instead of salad, the owner claims
It soon became the “center of the downtown arts scene,” with Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Julian Schnabel, Anna Wintour, Lorne Michaels and the cast of Saturday Night Live among its regulars.
He has since opened Café Luxembourg, Nell’s, Lucky Strike, Pravda, Balthazar, Pastis, Schiller’s, Morandi, Minetta Tavern, Cherche Midi and Augustine and Balthazar in London.
In 2017, McNally suffered a debilitating stroke that left him paralyzed on one side of his body, and soon after, his second wife, Alina McNally, was serving him with divorce papers.
The pandemic has been difficult for McNally, who said he was losing £5,000 a day at worst and was forced to close six restaurants. He was also hospitalized after contracting the coronavirus.