Michael Tisch Gets a Slice of Roberta’s

Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Ultra-hip Brooklyn pizza joint Roberta’s is as hot now as it was when it opened in 2008. But an investment by a member of the billionaire Tisch family has some fearing the Bushwick restaurant will lose its mojo.
More of This Week’s Food News
Four Season’s Restaurant’s Jewish Soul
Wexler’s Spreading Lox Love in L.A.
Reubens in Berlin and All the Week’s Food News
Shuka Truck Serves Breakfast in Bogotà
Eater reports that more than 20 Roberta’s staffers have resigned since Michael Tisch’s Chorus Hospitality announced that it bought a slice of the restaurant this week. The crew, including front-of-house managers, told Eater “that they no longer trusted the restaurant to maintain its creative ethos.” The amount of Tisch’s cash infusion hasn’t been disclosed.
Tisch told a public community board that when Chorus takes over Roberta’s, the restaurant’s ownership and management will be overhauled, with only chef and co-owner Carlo Mirarchi remaining.
In a 2011 review, The New York Times called Roberta’s Bushwick-rustic cuisine “magic.”
Michael Kaminer is a contributing editor at the Forward.
Hello, fellow Forward reader! I’m Joel Brown, a Forward reader and supporter for more than 15 years, and currently the chair of the board of directors.
I’m an avid Forward reader because it ticks so many of my essential boxes: excellent journalism, Jewish focus and diverse viewpoints. In today’s political climate, what I most appreciate is the Forward’s independence — made possible by the generosity of its membership.
The Forward is committed to bringing you unbiased, nuanced Jewish news. From my position as board chair, I see an exciting future as we expand our position as the definitive independent voice of contemporary American Judaism.
That’s why I’m paying it Forward, by matching $36,000 of reader gifts. It’s an investment in the Forward’s newsroom, to continue telling the American Jewish story with truth and independence.
— Joel Brown, Forward board chair
