Random Fashion Cafe Was Planet Hollywood For The Modeling World (14 items)

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  (#1) Famous Supermodels Were The Faces Of The Restaurant

  When founder Tommaso Buti approached Elle Macpherson in 1994, he offered between $50,000 and $100,000 per public appearance at his new restaurant, Fashion Cafe. Buti then enlisted Claudia Schiffer, and Naomi Campbell soon joined as well. A year later, Christy Turlington decided to make the group a foursome.

  The models were meant to help promote the idea of a restaurant based on fashion, glamour, and entertainment. However, the connection between models and food wasn't a strong one - something observers readily noted.

  Journalist and author Michael Gross stated, "the project seemed a bit ridiculous to me: themed restaurants were a tourist attraction.” Brand Failures author Matt Haig echoed these sentiments, adding that fashion "was not a theme that made people feel hungry." 
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  (#2) The Menu Was Full Of Dishes Named After Models

  The models involved with the Fashion Cafe had some input into the food on the menu. Elle Macpherson added shrimp on the barbie (aptly called Elle's Shrimp on the Barbie), Naomi Campbell's Fish and Chips made the cut, and Claudia Schiffer contributed apple pancakes, called Pancake Claudia.

  Claudia's New York Strip was a noteworthy contribution to the menu, but most of the food was not highly regarded. There were some fun options for visitors, however, including the Fashion Tarte. 
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  (#3) Fashion Cafe Was The Brainchild Of Brothers Tommaso And Francesco Buti

  Tommaso Buti and his brother, Francesco, opened the Fashion Cafe in 1995. Tommaso, 28 at the time, had arrived in the United States from Florence, Italy in 1989. He claimed he was looking for a "fresh start" after his relationship with his father fell apart.

  Claiming he was from a wealthy family, Tommaso hoped to capitalize on people's fascination with the glitz and glamour of the fashion industry. According to journalist Michael Gross, "the phenomenon of supermodels [was] at its peak" in 1995, having become "mass entertainment and showbiz" in and of itself. 

  Tommaso and Francesco Buti joined forces during the early 1990s, linking their restaurant and real estate interests.
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  (#4) Tommaso Buti Had Famous Friends And A Supermodel Wife

  After landing in the United States, Tommaso Buti cozied up to the likes of Luca Orlandi, an ex-boyfriend of Naomi Campbell and the son of a prominent Italian textile manufacturer, and Stefano Chitis, the heir to major construction firm Fondedile.

  Buti soon made more famous friends, like actor Kevin Costner, and met Sports Illustrated model Daniela Peštová, whom he married in 1995. According to Buti, Peštová rejected his advances at first, but he eventually won her over with his passion and expensive gifts.

  Buti was no stranger to excess, driving Rolls Royces and Ferraris to and from tennis matches and cocktail dates with wealthy pals. 
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  (#5) Fashion Cafe Opened In New York City To Much Fanfare In 1995

  When the inaugural Fashion Cafe opened in April 1995, actors, fashion designers, and music stars gathered to celebrate. Duran Duran and the Spin Doctors both performed, while comedians Damon Wayans and Denis Leary were in attendance. Mickey Rourke was there, as were the faces of the establishment: Claudia Schiffer, Elle Macpherson, and Naomi Campbell.

  Tommaso Buti was there with his supermodel wife, Daniela Peštová, while other models, like Tyra Banks and Carol Alt, made appearances. Fashion icons Gianni and Donatella Versace also attended the event, which was featured on CNN and the BBC.
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  (#6) The Dining Room Featured A Catwalk And Fashion Behind Glass

  Fashion items of all kinds added to the ambiance and surrounded diners. A catwalk wound down the middle of the dining room, and images from fashion magazines hung on the walls. Designer Bob Mackie donated clothing to go on display, and Victoria's Secret underwear worn by former models was placed behind glass for the world to see. 

  The restaurant also featured famous garments worn by performers like Jodie Foster and Madonna. The former's pantsuit from Silence of the Lambs wasn't too far away from the latter's Jean-Paul Gaultier bustier worn during her 1990 Blonde Ambition World Tour.

  Despite the high fashion featured at the restaurant, servers wore modest black shirts and vests. 
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  (#7) Fashion Cafe Sold More T-Shirts Than Anything Else

  The Fashion Cafe made most of its money on, well, fashion. According to reports, the cafe sold almost 30,000 t-shirts within the first four months of opening in New York City. Shirts cost $16 and hats were $18, but there were higher end items as well.

  A varsity jacket sold for $225 and a motorcycle jacket was too much for reviewer Phil Rosenthal to mention when he wrote about the business in 1995. Even today, a vintage Fashion Cafe jacket will cost you around $100. 
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  (#8) A London Branch Was Opened In 1996

  With the New York opening of the Fashion Cafe in 1995 a success, the Buti brothers sought to franchise. In London, they purchased the former Rialto theater in Leicester Square, across the street from a Planet Hollywood.

  New York and London were the primary locations for Fashion Cafes, but as many as seven additional restaurants opened up in cities like New Orleans, Jakarta, and Barcelona. The Butis planned to open even more international locations, but expenses quickly outweighed profits.
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  (#9) Tommaso Buti Had A History Of Poor Financial Decisions

  Although Tommaso Buti claimed he came to the United States after his working relationship with his father soured, there's no indication he worked for or with his father. By some accounts, Buti came to the United States after bouncing more than 50 checks and promissory notes in Italy.

  When asked about this by New York magazine reporter Johanna Berkman, Buti said anybody "can have a financial problem" and the amount in question was "about $30,000 to $40,000," not millions. He then indicated he had since paid off the debts.

  Buti and his brother, Francesco, continued to spend a lot of money they didn't have throughout the 1990s. While the Fashion Cafe business continued to struggle, Buti rented a $25,000 per night apartment and paid $20,000 for an elaborate birthday party in February 1998. The brothers also used company money to pay for cars, mortgages, and trips to places like Monte Carlo and Hawaii.
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  (#10) The Models Probably Never Put Their Own Money Into The Venture

  Tommaso Buti described Claudia Schiffer, Elle Macpherson, Naomi Campbell, and Christy Turlington as "part owners" in the Fashion Cafe, but they were often simply considered the faces of the brand. While it may have started as a spokesperson relationship, it's unclear if the women ever invested their own money into the restaurant.

  When the London location went bankrupt in 1998, accountant John Alexander insisted the models were merely consultants and their appearance fees were never threatened. In 2000, however, Campbell and Macpherson accused Buti of pocketing $25 million. He supposedly asked them to invest further into the venture, but they declined.

  The lack of financial support from the models may have worked against the restaurant chain, especially after the public realized the women were being paid to appear. Regardless of the sources, the Buti brothers were said to have convinced investors to put about $30 million into Fashion Cafe. 
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  (#11) Infighting Among The Models Didn't Make Things Any Easier

  In addition to financial woes, the Fashion Cafe also had to contend with issues involving the models themselves. Christy Turlington was initially resistant to join the venture. After being convinced by Claudia Schiffer, Elle Macpherson, and Naomi Campbell, however, she agreed to participate in mid-1995. She didn't make nearly as many appearances as her colleagues, perhaps because she saw it as a "tacky theme restaurant for tourists," according to New York magazine, and pulled out of the project in 1997.

  When Schiffer bowed out of the cafe, she said it was due to "old problems" with Naomi Campbell, according to Brand Failures: The Truth about the 100 Biggest Branding Mistakes of All Time. The Independent quoted her as saying, "instead of promoting our cafes, Naomi only thinks about collecting lovers." 
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  (#12) Tommaso Buti Wasn't As Well-Off As He Pretended

  Individuals who knew Tommaso Buti before his Fashion Cafe days indicated he "didn't have two pennies to rub together" when he arrived in the United States. And his family life was not as affluent as he wanted others to believe. Buti himself claimed he had $8,000 when he got to the states.

  Buti was reportedly the youngest son of working-class parents - his mother owned a clothing store, and his father made bottle caps - and a poor student who described himself, according to New York magazine and Vogue Italia, as both "a two-plus-two kind of guy" and a "playboy-King Midas." 
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  (#13) The Buti Brothers Were Indicted On 51 Counts Of Fraud

  All Fashion Cafe locations closed by the end of the 1990s. Naomi Campbell and Elle Macpherson's assertions that the Butis had taken money from the company to maintain their extravagant lifestyles were only part of the problems for the pair.

  In 1998, the federal government charged the Fashion Cafe chain with not paying taxes, and the Department of Labor accused the business of not paying premiums on their unemployment insurance. They also owed Rockefeller Center back rent and neglected to pay their attorneys' fees. 

  In 2000, Tommaso and Francesco Buti faced 51 counts of fraud, including money laundering, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit fraud. The men allegedly transferred investment money into their private accounts, only to spend it on vacations, cars, and real estate. According to the findings, this began as early as 1994 and lasted through 1998, when Tommaso resigned from the company.

  By 2000, however, both men had fled the United States. Tommaso and Francesco were taken into custody in Italy in 2000. Neither was ever extradited, however.

  Tommaso faced still more legal trouble when he and his ex-wife, Daniela Peštová, became embroiled in a battle over their 6-year old son, Yanick, in 2003. Tommaso accused Peštová of preventing Yanick from making court-ordered visits.
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  (#14) Fashion Cafe Wasn't Tommaso Buti's First Restaurant

  While making wealthy and influential friends during the late 1980s and early 1990s, Tommaso Buti simultaneously started investing in eateries in New York and Florida. In 1991, Buti set up a sandwich service in World Wide Plaza in New York City - with the help of wealthy leather business heir Ippolito Etro - before starting a deli the following year. At one point, his deli was said to serve more than 1,000 lunches each day and be worth about $10 million.

  He also opened an Italian restaurant in Miami and linked up with his brother in real estate during the early 1990s. Buti began working with noteworthy clients, like Merrill-Lynch and Chase Manhattan, all leading up to the establishment of the Fashion World Company, described by journalist Giselle Benatar as a "real estate, travel, and restaurant firm" in a 1995 New York magazine article.

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