NYC restaurateur Keith McNally blasts VIP developer for ‘entitled’ behavior
Fiery New York restaurateur Keith McNally publicly shamed real-estate developer Michael Shvo — and threatened to ban him — after the millionaire apparently waltzed past the hostess at Balthazar and grabbed the best booth for himself.
McNally, 70, posted a rant on Instagram about the “disagreeable incident” Sunday at his iconic French restaurant in Soho, which he said was relayed to him by maitre d’ Sydney Tennant.
Tennant said that Shvo, 48, had a 1 p.m. reservation, but “rather than waiting to check in at the maitre d stand, [he] walked right past us and sat himself at the best table — booth 60.”
“When I went over to see what was going on, he dismissed me saying he always got a booth and that he assumed it was going to be his table.”
Tennant said he thought it was important to bring the incident to his boss’ attention, as “we do require all our guests to check in at the door. Especially given the vaccine mandate and certain booth/table requests.”
He added: “I don’t think this behavior should be overlooked.”
According to the post, the real-state investor was classified as an “AA,” or an “always accommodate” guest, at the exclusive eatery on Spring Street.
But McNally, a staple of the Big Apple fine-dining scene since the 1980s, ordered that his VIP status be “torn to shreds.”
“How F. presumptuous!” the millionaire restaurateur wrote. “This obnoxious, entitled behavior is the Height of Arrogance.”
McNally also threatened to ban the brazen businessman for life, as he did to former Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter in May.
“If he ever Tries to seat himself again, he’ll join Graydon Carter on Balthazar’s 86 list,” McNally wrote.
The famed editor was banned from McNally’s eateries after making a reservation for 12 at buzzy restaurant Morandi and failing to show up.
“I’ll tell you one thing,” McNally wrote on Instagram at the time. “That fancy F–ker will never be allowed to make a reservation at one of my restaurants again. Never.”
