Why Patsy's Restaurant Opened Just For Frank Sinatra On Thanksgiving

Patsy's Italian Restaurant in Midtown Manhattan has seen countless celebrity diners over the years, but of all its many devoted fans, there's probably no one that's more associated with the joint than Frank Sinatra. In fact, Sinatra made the NYC Italian restaurant famous. While the legendary crooner had been going to Patsy's since the 1940s, it was a special Thanksgiving dinner at Patsy's that may have turned him into the restaurant's biggest cheerleader.

Patsy's is not open on Thanksgiving and never has been. However, the restaurant made an exception once in the early 1950s, when Sinatra was at a low point in his career and personal life. "He was dumped by Ava Gardner, he was dumped by his record company, he was down and out," recounts Patsy's executive chef Sal Scognamillo, the grandson of founder Pasquale "Patsy" Scognamillo, in a video shared by Patsy's Restaurant on YouTube.

While enjoying a meal at the restaurant one Thanksgiving Eve, Sinatra was being ignored by all the other customers in the restaurant — people who had always wanted something from him when things were good. Not wanting to spend Thanksgiving alone, he asked Patsy to book him a table, apparently missing all the signs around the restaurant that stated that they were closed for the holiday. To avoid disappointing Sinatra, especially when he was so down and out, Patsy agreed.

As Sal Scognamillo recounts, his grandfather could have invited Sinatra to their home but didn't want to hurt his pride. So, instead, Patsy made an exception and opened the restaurant for Thanksgiving, just for Frank Sinatra. The founder asked the staff to come in and to bring their families before inviting a few other guests so Sinatra wouldn't be dining alone. The restaurant was still emptier than usual, a fact that Sinatra noticed and remarked upon when he came in for his 3 p.m. Thanksgiving reservation.

Interestingly, Sinatra's Thanksgiving meal wasn't typical in that he didn't want the usual turkey. As Scognamillo notes, his grandfather Patsy noted that "he wants anything but turkey." Strangely, Sinatra didn't order veal Milanese, the comforting Italian dish that he frequently ordered at Patsy's, either, nor his favorite arugula salad. Instead, Patsy's son Joe cooked the crooner a chicken rollatini stuffed with spinach, which Sinatra enjoyed as his Thanksgiving meal with Patsy sitting at his table.

It wasn't until many years later that Sinatra found out that Patsy's had opened on Thanksgiving just for him. Neither Frank nor Patsy ever spoke of that dinner, but Scognamillo believes it cemented Sinatra's loyalty to the restaurant and a lifelong friendship between the two families.