Oyster Bar

The story

Grand Central Terminal hadn't even officially opened when the Oyster Bar held its first dinner — February 1, 1913, one day early, arranged for the architects Warren and Wetmore and 100 guests. The restaurant has occupied the terminal's lower level ever since, surviving a 1997 fire and a brief closure for renovations. In 1999, owner Jerome Brody sold it not to a corporation but to his own employees, specifically to preserve the union and keep staff satisfied. Today the Oyster Bar remains employee-owned, with managerial staff part of an ESOP and workers represented by UNITE HERE Local 100.