The Barstool Fund - Mimi's Italian Restaurant and Piano Bar
Up next: Mimi's Italian Restaurant and Piano Bar (New York, NY)
Mimi's, a beloved local favorite, entertains returning patrons from all over the world. Known for its cozy atmosphere, it's a home away from home. Founded in 1956 by Dominick "Mimi" Sannino, Mimi's is one of the few remaining Italian restaurant piano bars in New York City.
Reader Email
My name is Dominick Sannino and I am a 3rd generation restauranteur in New York City. We are located on 52nd street and 2 Avenue in Manhattan. My mother and father opened this location in 1973 (the original location opened in 1956 but moved because the Citicorp building was built) and now it is just me and my aunt operating the restaurant, and my two nieces run our social media. My average (average) employee has worked at our restaurant for over 10 years. I have a bartender that started in 1975 and another bartender that started in 1977. My chef started in 1981 and his brother (also chef) started in 1993. We are a family but not blood related. It breaks my heart to not be able to be there for them.
We are at wits end financially and mentally. We are a piano bar and serve southern Italian cuisine that serves the neighborhood and regulars from all over the country and world. Since 3/29/2020 when we closed for indoor dinning and our piano bar, I have laid off employees that have been with our business from 1975, 1977, 1981 and so on. These people are our employees but it feels as if we are family. Our customers are sometimes 3rd generation. I have customers that come in and tell me this is where their parents have met or had a first date. I have regulars that would come in 4 times per week, and some that would come from Europe that come in every time they come to the USA. We survived the blackout of 1977, on 9/11 we gave out water to the people walking up 2 Avenue and after Hurricane Sandy we let people just come in to charge their phones when they had no power. We are not only a restaurant, we are part of the neighborhood. I now am in need. I am so broken, so knocked down, so at a loss of words. I literally have had to fight back the sadness and tears and try to move forward every day. NYC has no indoor dining and i just can’t survive on the little bit of savings and PPP that I received. I hate begging but I thought about doing a go fund me page and I can’t do it knowing how many other restaurants are in the same place I am.
