Out-of-work Broadway actors can eat now and pay later (or never) at 2 Manhattan restaurants
- Manhattan restaurants Marseille and Nizza are offering an "eat now, pay later" scheme for out-of-work Broadway actors.
- Actors can enjoy a meal and pay their bill "as slowly or as quickly as possible, if at all," the restaurants said.
- All Broadway shows have been suspended until May 30, 2021.
- "Your success has been our success," the restaurants told actors.
Out-of-work Broadway actors can now eat at two New York City restaurants and pay later — or not at all.
Sister restaurants Marseille and Nizza in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen announced the "eat now and pay later" policy last week, saying they "want to feed the community that has fed us all these years."
This followed the October 9 announcement that all Broadway shows would be suspended until May 30, 2021.
"For the past 20 years, these restaurants have been the home of many actors and theater-goers pre- and post-performance," Italian restaurant Nizza and French restaurant Marseille said in matching statements on their websites.
"Your success has been our success," they told actors.
Now that the theater industry is "decimated" because of the pandemic, the restaurants want to ensure Broadway workers "stay well fed and well loved."
Actors can pay their bill, once theaters reopen, "as slowly or as quickly as possible, if at all," the restaurants said.
The closure of theaters affects nearly 100,000 workers, the Broadway League, which represents the area's theaters and producers, said.
The restaurants urged visitors to still tip staff based on their final bill, saying the pandemic has been an "incredibly hard time" for their teams.
The restaurants added they reserve the right to cancel the program at any time "if we realize it is bankrupting us."
The offer is valid after 9 p.m. for dine-in meals on any day of the week. It doesn't cover drinks or guests.
Members of any Coalition of Broadway Union & Guilds organizations can use the scheme, as long as they are an Actors' Equity cardholder and set up a house account with the restaurants.