Michelin stars are nice, but restaurateur John Winterman and chef Christopher Cipollone had a simpler first wish for their new restaurant Francie — keeping the place open for more than a week. “We opened on December 4, at 25% capacity, with a 10PM curfew and no bar seating,” says Winterman. Days later, New York State shut down indoor dining again completely. 

The team persevered, re-opening in mid-February. Finally, the ever-changing city regulations continued moving in the right direction. “We were allowed 25%, then 50% pretty quickly,” says Winterman. “Then they moved the curfew to 11PM and then midnight.” And on May 6, the brasserie became one of only seven new restaurants in New York City to earn a Michelin star.