Dealmakers along New York’s corporate‑heavy Park Avenue corridor will soon have a new lunch destination, the latest sign of the return of yet another tradition disrupted by the pandemic.
French chef and TV personality Cyril Lignac, in partnership with hospitality group D.ream International, is making his U.S. debut at 345 Park Ave., the roughly 2 million‑square‑foot, 44‑story office tower between East 51st and 52nd streets anchored by private‑equity giant Blackstone.
The opening of Lignac’s dining concepts comes as power lunches are reemerging along major office corridors such as Park Avenue, thanks to New York’s relatively strong office attendance rates, which took a dive during the pandemic. At the same time, destination dining has increasingly become a competitive office amenity, helping trophy towers stand out amid the so-called flight to quality.
The partners have leased about 22,000 square feet of ground‑floor space for 15 years for three dining concepts slated to open early next year. They include Bar des Prés, Lignac’s internationally acclaimed Franco‑East Asian restaurant with outposts in Paris, London, Dubai and, most recently, St. Barts. The two additional concepts will feature a contemporary French brasserie and an artisanal French bakery and cafe.
The openings mark more than a first for the chef. It’s also the first time restaurants will be housed inside the high‑profile Park Avenue building, a spokesperson for the landlord, Rudin, told CoStar News.
Opened in 1969 and designed by Emery Roth & Sons, the building counts Blackstone — the world’s largest commercial property owner — as its biggest tenant.
In 2024, Blackstone expanded its footprint at 345 Park to more than 1 million square feet, occupying roughly 55% of the tower across 28 floors. Other major tenants include the NFL at close to 200,000 square feet, according to CoStar data. Blackstone’s lease came with the landlord agreeing to building upgrades and new tenant amenities.
Rudin is developing a high‑end fitness center and tenant lounge among the building’s new amenities, the company spokesperson told CoStar News on Friday. The spokesperson declined to provide the terms of the restaurants' lease.
Places to see and be seen
At another office building, 425 Park Ave., chef and restaurateur Jean‑Georges Vongerichten’s Four Twenty Five — located in the first full‑block Park Avenue tower to open in decades — has quickly emerged as one of the corridor’s most coveted power‑lunch spots. Nearby at the Seagram Building at 375 Park Ave., The Grill, which occupies the landmarked former Four Seasons dining rooms, is among the city’s iconic see‑and‑be‑seen restaurants recommended by the Michelin Guide. Seagram owner RFR has also marketed The Grill as part of the building’s amenity package for office tenants.
Other trophy office properties employ a similar playbook. SL Green Realty’s One Vanderbilt and One Madison host dining concepts by Daniel Boulud, while Related Cos.’ 30 Hudson Yards houses high‑profile restaurants such as Peak with Priceless on the 101st floor. At Brookfield’s Manhattan West just across the street from Hudson Yards, dining options include Danny Meyer’s Ci Siamo.
“Power lunching in New York is a longstanding tradition that’s as much centered on people watching as it is on titans of industry brokering deals and breaking bread,” the Michelin Guide wrote in a December 2023 report. “This favorite city pastime — often the topic of gossip pages in local newspapers — all but disappeared during the pandemic. Today, it's back and as thriving as ever.”
Some long-standing institutions have managed a comeback. Delmonico’s, widely regarded as the first fine‑dining restaurant in the United States when it opened in 1837, reopened in 2023 after shuttering during the pandemic.
Others were not as fortunate. The 21 Club, a midtown dining staple for nearly a century, closed permanently in 2020.
For the record
Steven Soutendijk of Cushman & Wakefield represented ownership; John DiGangi and Manu Wendum of Retail by Mona represented D.ream International.