The Foods Frank Sinatra Demanded Be In His Dressing Room Before Concerts

Frank Sinatra was known for many things in his day. He was considered one of the greatest singers of all time, and he was also known as a tough guy who hung out with mobsters. He was effortlessly cool and among the biggest stars of his era. When Sinatra was putting on a show, he was known to have some peculiar backstage requests, and folks were willing to go the extra mile to make sure Ol' Blue Eyes was happy.

According to a technical rider that Sinatra's team sent ahead of a 1991 show in Ohio discovered by Forbes, the singer had some odd backstage demands. You could argue that the 75-year-old Sinatra was a really hungry man, but there's no way he was eating all of this food. His requests included three cans of Campbell's chicken and rice soup, which didn't even make our list of the best Campbell's soups, as well as a crockpot to whip up the meal. And that was just to kick things off.

Sinatra also requested two egg salad sandwiches and two chicken salad sandwiches without the mayo (so basically just chicken with celery and onion). This was followed by two ham and cheese sandwiches, a cheese and cracker tray that included Brie, a fruit bowl, pretzels, chips, and mini Tootsie Rolls. He also wanted two dozen cans of soda, which had to include Coke. Of those 24 sodas, 75% of them had to be diet. In addition to this, the rider also demanded tea and coffee, sweeteners, cream, lime, honey, and assorted other garnishes and accents.

Another rider shared by The Smoking Gun shows that Sinatra also called for sliced turkey sandwiches and a fruit tray that had to include watermelon, if available. Some hors d'oeuvres, two dozen chilled jumbo shrimp, and Nova Scotia-sourced salmon rounded out the list. The singer was obviously concerned about his throat before going on stage. This rider also requested 12 rolls of cherry-flavored Life Savers, 12 rolls of assorted-flavored Life Savers, and 12 boxes of either cherry or honey Luden's cough drops.

Sinatra was definitely a foodie, even if he pre-dated that term. For breakfast, he was known to enjoy a simple scrambled egg sandwich on white toast that was pan-fried in Italian olive oil. His valet, George Jacobs, once wrote about being taught how to make the sandwich the exact right way by Nancy Sinatra, according to Esquire. The singer liked it with a side of soft (not crispy) bacon. Jacobs was also taught how to make Sinatra's steaks (paper-thin) and pork chops.

The former driver noted that Sinatra was not a big vegetable fan, aside from eggplant parm and roasted peppers, but there was an arugula salad he enjoyed. In fact, this dish made our list of some of Sinatra's favorite foods, along with stuffed artichokes. While he dined at some of the finest restaurants and enjoyed plenty of amazing meals, he was also a fan of comfort foods. Sinatra's last meal was as classic as it gets: a simple grilled cheese sandwich.