Broadway Landmark Sardi's to Close Temporarily After Nearly 100 Years as Ownership of Iconic Restaurant Changes Hands Dave QuinnFri, March 27, 2026 at 1:33 PM UTC 0 Sardi's restaurant in New York CityCredit: M. Von Holden/FilmMagic Sardi's will close temporarily this summer for renovations as ownership transitions to The Shubert Organization The restaurant's iconic caricatures and Broadway legacy will be preserved during updates to its infrastructure and dining room Longtime owner Max Klimavicius is stepping away after 50 years, leaving the restaurant at a high point in its history After nearl...
Broadway Landmark Sardi's to Close Temporarily After Nearly 100 Years as Ownership of Iconic Restaurant Changes Hands
Dave QuinnFri, March 27, 2026 at 1:33 PM UTC
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Sardi's restaurant in New York CityCredit: M. Von Holden/FilmMagic -
Sardi's will close temporarily this summer for renovations as ownership transitions to The Shubert Organization
The restaurant's iconic caricatures and Broadway legacy will be preserved during updates to its infrastructure and dining room
Longtime owner Max Klimavicius is stepping away after 50 years, leaving the restaurant at a high point in its history
After nearly a century as a cornerstone of New York City's theater district, Sardi's is preparing to dim the lights — for now.
The famed restaurant and industry watering hole, known for its walls lined with caricatures of Broadway legends, will close for several months this summer as part of a transition in ownership and renovations, according to a report from The New York Times.
Max Klimavicius, who has worked at Sardi's for more than five decades and has solely owned the business for 33 years, is stepping away and selling the restaurant's name, assets and its collection of more than 1,000 caricatures to the The Shubert Organization, which owns the building and operates multiple Broadway theaters.
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Diners have a meal inside famed theater industry restaurant Sardi'sCredit: M. Von Holden/FilmMagic
Klimavicius, 71, will continue running the restaurant through June 24 before it closes for updates to its infrastructure. The space is expected to reopen later this year, with its signature look — including its famous artwork — preserved.
"For me, this wasn't about the money," Klimavicius said. "It was about the continuity of this legacy, so important to me. This has been my life."
Sara Bareilles, Gavin Creel, Joan Crawford and Bette Davis caricatures on the wall at Sardi'sCredit: Bruce Glikas/Bruce Glikas/WireImage
Founded in 1927, Sardi's has long served as a gathering place for Broadway's biggest names — a "message center, a lovers' rendezvous, a production office, a casting center and even a psychiatrist's couch," as Vincent Sardi Jr. once described it in his memoir. "We serve food, too."
The caricatures that cover its walls — inspired by Joe Zelli's Restaurant in Paris, and easily Sardi's most recognizable feature —began as a simple exchange.
In the establishment's early days, founder Vincent Sardi Sr. invited artist Alex Gard to draw caricatures of theater regulars in return for free meals. The two struck a deal: Sardi wouldn't criticize the drawings, and Gard wouldn't criticize the food.
Audra McDonald aside a wall of celebrity caricatures at Sardi's in New York CityCredit: Walter McBride/Corbis via Getty
The tradition stuck. Over the decades, a succession of artists (first Tom Mackey, then Don Bevan and now Richard Baratz) has added to the collection, which now includes some 1,200 portraits spanning all four floors — from legends like Laurence Olivier, Lucille Ball, Yul Brynner and Sammy Davis Jr to modern stars like Lin-Manuel Miranda, Cynthia Erivo, Sara Bareillis and George Clooney.
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Not every subject has been thrilled. Milton Berle reportedly bristled at how his nose was depicted, while actress Maureen Stapleton once stole her portrait and burned it — only to later return and have a new one hung years later.
Today, approximately 20 new portraits are added each year, the caricatures unveiled at a champagne reception attended by friends of the honoree.
The restaurant's deep ties to the theater world run even further: the Tony Awards were first conceived there, cementing its place in Broadway history.
George Clooney poses next to his Sardi's caricature in April 2025Credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty
Robert E. Wankel, chairman and CEO of the Shubert Organization, confirmed to The Times that the restaurant will retain its iconic identity, even as upgrades are made.
"The restaurant has always been important to us," he said. "I consider it as much a part of the theater district as our theaters, and we want to make sure it stays in business."
While the dining room will be refurbished and systems like lighting, ventilation and plumbing , Wankel noted there are no plans to significantly alter its look. "Obviously, we're going to have a new restaurateur, so the menu might change a little bit," he added.
The neon sign outside Sardi's in New York CityCredit: M. Von Holden/FilmMagic
Still, the transition brings uncertainty for staff. Klimavicius said the restaurant's 74 employees will likely need to reapply for their jobs once it reopens.
"There's some nervousness about what's going to happen, but it's probably the best-case scenario," longtime bartender Jeremy Wagner said. "I'm seeing it as an opportunity."
Klimavicius, who began working at Sardi's in 1974 after arriving in New York from Colombia, said he is choosing to step away at a high point for the restaurant, especially after it was featured prominently in the 2025 film Blue Moon, which earned Ethan Hawke an Oscar nomination.
"We have never had so much media coverage," he said. "I'm so happy to leave while I'm on top, feeling like Sardi's is back."
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Source: "AOL Entertainment"
Source: Entertainment
Published: March 27, 2026 at 09:45AM on Source: PRIME TIME
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