The Ivy
Biography
Abel Giandolini opened the original Ivy restaurant in 1917 as an unlicensed Italian in the West End. The Ivy has since blossomed into a restaurant popular among celebrities and theatergoers. It has expanded into locations across the United Kingdom and Ireland, known as the Ivy Collection. According to legend, the restaurant’s name originated from a remark actress Alice Delysia made. She overheard Giandolini apologize to a customer for the inconvenience caused by building works. When he said that it was because he intended to create a restaurant, she interjected, “Don’t worry – we will always come and see you. ‘We will cling together like the ivy'”, a line from the then-popular song “Just Like the Ivy I’ll Cling to You.”
Notes
Abel Giandolini opened the original Ivy restaurant in 1917 as an unlicensed Italian in the West End. The Ivy has since blossomed into a restaurant popular among celebrities and theatergoers. It has expanded into locations across the United Kingdom and Ireland, known as the Ivy Collection. According to legend, the restaurant’s name originated from a remark actress Alice Delysia made. She overheard Giandolini apologize to a customer for the inconvenience caused by building works. When he said that it was because he intended to create a restaurant, she interjected, “Don’t worry – we will always come and see you. ‘We will cling together like the ivy'”, a line from the then-popular song “Just Like the Ivy I’ll Cling to You.”
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