Scamfluencers Episode 193:

The Cipriani Family: Bribes and Bellinis

Release Date: December 22, 2025
Hosts: Scaachi Koul (“C”) & Sarah Hagi (“A”)
Podcast by: Wondery

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the dramatic saga of the Cipriani family—a legendary name in the world of high-end hospitality, whose glamorous, globetrotting restaurant empire has spanned nearly a century. The hosts unpack how the family rose from humble beginnings and created famed culinary institutions, but also how ambition, hubris, and a hunger for exclusivity led to scandals involving hostile takeovers, union-busting, mafia involvement, tax evasion, and brushes with ruin. Ultimately, “Bribes and Bellinis” examines the intersection of legacy, celebrity culture, and the corruption that festers behind a gilded brand.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Birth of a Hospitality Empire (06:16–15:55)

• Giuseppe Cipriani Sr. starts as a humble bartender and pastry chef in early 20th-century Venice.
  • Learns hospitality from his mother and values making people happy.
• Legendary Moments:
  • Founds Harry’s Bar in Venice with funds lent by American socialite Harry Pickering (10:18).
  • Invents famed dishes such as beef carpaccio and the Bellini cocktail (11:39–12:41).
  • Harry’s Bar becomes a haunt for artists like Hemingway and Capote (13:42).
• Quote:
  “He falls in love with making people happy and seeing customers enjoy his work. It reminds him of the way his mother took care of their boarders in Germany.” – Scaachi (08:12)

2. Expansion and the American Dream (15:55–23:09)

• Arrigo Cipriani takes over Harry’s Bar and opens Hotel Cipriani, expanding the family brand.
• The Ciprianis’ arrival in New York:
  • Arrigo and his son Giuseppe Jr. (“Junior”) manage Harry Cipriani at the Sherry-Netherland Hotel (1985).
  • Their partnership with the Forte family sours after Arrigo opens a side restaurant, Bellini, leading to their ousting from Harry Cipriani (18:43–20:19).
  • The Ciprianis attempt to regain relevance with new ventures, but face harsh backlash from the New York Times critic Brian Miller.
• Memorable Moment:
  “Harry Cipriani has all the charm of a family restaurant in a shopping mall. ... One of the house specials should be served with a television set, for it is a dead ringer for a TV dinner.”
  — Sarah, reading Brian Miller’s review (22:28)

3. Fame, Pettiness, and Power Plays (24:37–28:14)

• Junior becomes the face of the brand, chasing celebrity clientele and making the restaurants the go-to place for glitterati.
• The Ciprianis’ aggressive tactics and focus on image over substance sets the stage for high-stakes legal and PR struggles.
• The “name” becomes their main currency—often at the expense of the original ethos of hospitality.
• Quote:
  “Our strength is our name. … If they want to grow, they need to start forcing people to play by their rules.” – Scaachi, summarizing Junior’s philosophy (24:50)

4. Scandal: Union-Busting & Mob Ties (28:14–37:10)

• Junior expands the empire (Cipriani Downtown, luxury hotels), makes a risky play buying 55 Wall Street.
• The Cipriani takeover of The Rainbow Room triggers labor disputes:
  • Fires 250 union workers, sparks pickets and a city-wide labor war (29:24–33:52).
  • Junior inks a controversial deal with a mob-linked Teamsters local in hopes of evading picketing.
  • Celebrities boycott the restaurants, tarnishing the brand among its target clientele.
• Memorable Quote: “We’ll have a picket line in front of the Rainbow Room for 100 years if that’s what it takes.” – Peter Ward, Union Boss (32:16)

5. Legal Trouble: Tax Evasion & Bribery (37:10–43:55)

• After the mob scandal, a whistleblower accuses the Cipriani family of tax evasion.
• Charges: Hiding $3.5 million in state and city taxes over six years.
  • Both Arrigo (now 75) and Junior are indicted in 2007, plead guilty, pay $10 million, but avoid jail. Their liquor licenses are controversially spared (39:39–40:47).
• Further scandal: The state liquor board attempts to revoke all licenses due to their felony status (42:22).
  • Alleged political intervention by a top aide to Governor Patterson preserves their ability to operate after a hefty settlement.
  • Eventually, they lose the lease on the Rainbow Room after failing to pay millions in rent (43:39).

6. Legacy, Decline, and Lessons (43:55–48:36)

• Despite the turmoil, the Cipriani brand remains a magnet for the global elite—exclusive clubs, luxury residences, and lively nightlife properties endure.
• Junior moves to Uruguay, increasingly focused on real estate for the super-rich, while Arrigo retires in Italy.
• Legacy continues with new openings, e.g., Casa Cipriani in NYC, frequented by Taylor Swift.
• The story ends reflecting on the corrosive effects of legacy obsession, the impossibility of running an "honest" high-end restaurant in New York, and the thin line between ambition and ethical compromise.
• Quote:
  “Like many episodes and many stories, the fraud wasn’t really necessary. But they did it.” — Sarah (45:58)
  “Our strength is our name.” — Scaachi (24:50)

7. Final Reflections (46:59–48:36)

• Hosts muse on generational wealth, expectations for second and third generation successors, and the futility of chasing prestige above all.
• Quote:
  “The first generation builds, the second spends, and the third squanders it.” — Scaachi (47:35)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On the family name's power:
  “If you open a restaurant and your entire legacy is hospitality and food … this is not it. It doesn’t have the charm. This sucks.” — Sarah, on NYT’s Brian Miller’s review (21:23)
• On legacy and entitlement:
  “It is that kind of old world mentality of importance and legacy and like this is all we have. All we have is our name. But … it’s business. It’s a cutthroat world.” — Sarah (47:48)
• Parting joke:
  “Sarah, I want you to know that I would always do fraud under your name. Proudly.” — Scaachi (48:04)
  “I wouldn’t for you. Oh, necessarily…” — Sarah (48:09)

Notable Segment Timestamps

• Origin story – Giuseppe’s youth, Harry’s Bar, and culinary inventions:
  06:16–13:42
• The American Expansion & New York drama:
  15:55–23:09
• Hostile takeover at Harry Cipriani:
  00:56–04:11, 18:43–20:19
• NY Times “brutal” reviews:
  20:42–23:09
• Rise of Junior & focus on celebrity:
  24:37–28:14
• Rainbow Room union busting & mob deals:
  29:24–37:10
• Tax evasion criminal charges:
  37:10–40:47
• Liquor license drama & political intrigue:
  42:22–43:39
• Final legacy and reflections:
  43:55–48:36

Tone & Delivery

• Fast-paced, peppered with dry wit and banter.
• Both hosts mix skepticism, fascination, and bemusement with the outlandishness of high-society drama.
• Occasional moments of empathy for employees and genuine awe at the family's culinary impact.

Useful Takeaways for Listeners

• The Cipriani story is emblematic of how dazzling hospitality brands can be built on personal charm and innovation, but also topple under the weight of greed and mismanagement.
• Celebrity clientele, exclusivity, and legacy are seductive—but often overshadow the hard realities of business, legal compliance, and ethical dilemmas.
• Even notorious scandals and criminal convictions can’t always kill a well-crafted name; in luxury hospitality, perception is everything.
• The episode stands as both a cautionary tale and a tribute to the impact of legacy—how it can elevate, and how it can also corrupt.

Sources cited include Vanity Fair, The New York Times, and Arrigo Cipriani’s memoir.