Billionaires want their slice of Roberta’s pizza — and workers are cheesed off.
Owners of the hip Brooklyn restaurant have partnered with the Tisch family, which owns the New York Giants and the multi-billion- dollar Loews hotel corporation, Eater.com reported Friday.
‘This place is my life. And it’s my legacy. And I’m never ever going to let anything tarnish that.’
- Owner Carlo Mirarchi
Owners of Roberta’s — famed for its independent spirit and tasty wood-fire-oven-cooked pies — want an influx of capital for an expansion that will likely include a steakhouse and a wholesale bakery, according to the food news site.
But staffers at the Bushwick hotspot fear their bosses are selling out — and at least 20 of them have quit in the past few months, Eater reported.
“Don’t be fooled. It’s phony now,” one unnamed worker fumed.
Carlo Mirarchi, chef and co-owner of the restaurant, swears the hipster hub will remain “bizarre, quirky, and nonsensical.”
“This place is my life. And it’s my legacy. And I’m never ever going to let anything tarnish that,” Mirarchi told Eater.
As evidence, he pointed to a recent party at Roberta’s in which workers frolicked in “a kiddie pool filled with spaghetti!”
Still, he’s partnering with Michael Tisch, grandson of billionaire patriarch Laurence Tisch, who has a history of setting up upscale restaurants.
Former employees say Tisch tried to win over people at the restaurant — and even promised his team wouldn’t show up at the restaurant wearing suits.
“They were aware that they do not fit the mold,” one manager said.
Tisch is a graduate of Harvard business school and has worked as a lawyer for a private equity firm.
Chorus Hospitality, which is owned by Tisch, provides “quality upscale experiences” in the culinary world, according to his LinkedIn page.
Mirarchi plans to add “improvements” to the Bushwick restaurant, he said.
“There are certain things we’re excited about improving. All these things are going to make this place better. I don’t see how adding another Rational oven to the kitchen is a loss of character,” he said.
He added, “I can’t even tell you how many hours of conversation about this, and about how important the culture was of this place, and how important it was to us personally, and how this is my life.”
Mirarchi wouldn’t say the size of the investment or terms of the deal. Other details are still being negotiated.