Say what you want about Major Food Group, comprising Rich Torrisi and Mario Carbone, along with their partner, Jeff Zalaznick, who’ve opened a conglomerate of restaurants across the globe — many of them named after themselves. Let’s face it: They’re long on appeal, or they wouldn’t be doing so well.

Maybe it’s because they make restaurantgoers feel like they belong, that they’re part of an exclusive New York set (if only for a night). It’s a thrill to score a reservation at Carbone. A lucky few can afford to dine at the Grill in the former Four Seasons, or can pay thousands of dollars for a members-only New York branch of ZZ’s Club.