Cuisine
When the Palm opened, it operated as a conventional Italian restaurant offering fare similar to that found in New York's Little Italy neighborhood. Early in its history, however, Bozzi and Ganzi fielded a request for steak and the owners broiled it after retrieving meat from a Second Avenue butcher. As related in the Palm cook book, the first request led to others and the items were put on the menu.
Later, the Palm added Nova Scotia lobsters and aged USDA Prime beef, often served bone-in, as well as a selection of salads.
It opened a restaurant in London employing Jason Wallis as executive head chef in 2009.[3] It has since closed.[4] It was opened on the site of Drones,[5] a former Marco Pierre White restaurant.[6]
Caricatures
A defining feature of the restaurant's brand has been the celebrity walls of caricatures drawn directly on the walls. Those depicted include celebrities, politicians, and sports and media figures.
The Palm's historical materials contend that the caricature tradition began as a twist on the phrase "sing for your meal" where an artist who enjoyed the fare would pay for his meal by drawing a portrait on the wall. Featured celebrities have often provided an autograph next to their portrait.
Later, as the brand expanded, this tradition continued at other locations.
Expansion
The Palm opened its second location in Washington, D.C. in December 1972.[7] According to the company's web site, the prodding of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush, then U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, encouraged the families to open the second location. Bush often quipped that there was a "lack of good American fare" in the capital city.[8]
In 1973, the restaurant's third location, the "Palm Too," opened across the street from the original New York location. During the 1970s the restaurants also expanded to three other cities, Los Angeles, Houston and East Hampton, NY.
In 2000, The Palm opened a location in downtown Nashville, TN, situated across from the Nashville Predators Bridgestone Arena.
During the summer of 2011, the Palm underwent a brand refresh, which included new tableware, uniforms, signage, and an updated visual identity manifested in a new website and a new ad campaign. The chain incorporated a number of new dishes into its menu to coincide with the brand refresh.[9] The restaurant's motto
Diversification
In 1980, the company took over the management of two historic hotels, the Huntting Inn and the Hedges Inn, both located in East Hampton, New York. The company also operated its own wholesale meat company, JORM, though now the Company purchases meat from a third party.
