The owner of a celeb hotspot is in a bitter battle with locals and police as they wage war on his swanky new restaurant.
Scott Sartiano, the 49-year-old owner of NYC’s ultra-exclusive Zero Bond club, is facing backlash over his new venture at the historic Hedges Inn in East Hampton.
The entrepreneur leases the property and hopes to buy it soon. His original plan was to create a spinoff of the infamous Zero Bond, the Wall Street Journal reported.
But the hotspot, called Sartiano’s at The Hedges Inn, has become ground zero for a clash between big city glitz and small town vibes since it opened in July.
‘I don’t trust this guy,’ said East Hampton Village Mayor Jerry Larsen to the outlet. ‘The residents don’t trust him.’
The chic restaurant, located in the Hedges Inn that’s owned by John Cumming, has been frequented by celebs like Taylor Swift and Kim Kardashian and figures like Meghan Markle and Elon Musk – who can nibble on $52 caviar cannoli.
‘The Hedges Inn transforms into a culinary stage for Sartiano’s, an off-shoot of the exclusive SoHo restaurant that brings a dynamic dining experience to East Hampton,’ their website reads.
‘This weekly experience is a celebration of innovative cuisine curated by the renowned talent behind Sartiano’s.’
But locals fear it’s a celeb-packed party palace that is shattering their tranquil paradise.
The drama kicked off when Sartiano first floated plans to bring a Zero Bond-style club to the quaint village.
Local residents had immediate concerns of late-night outings disturbing their village.
Village officials quickly circled the wagons, passing new laws to kneecap Sartiano’s plans – such as no service after 11 pm and banning nightclubs in the historic district.
‘I’m sure he impresses a lot of people in New York City,’ village administrator Marcos Baladrón said to the outlet, ‘but we’re not budging.’
Sartiano pivoted his plans of opening a private club and opened a restaurant instead. But the battle was far from over.
On opening night, building inspectors swooped in, forcing diners mid-meal to abandon the outdoor area over a floral installation dispute.
Since then, it’s been all-out war.
Police cars hover nearby, ready to pounce on the slightest noise complaint.
One night, officers even claimed Sartiano’s liquor license forbade any music.
But when he whipped out a decibel meter showing ‘background office noise’ levels, they were forced to retreat.
‘I don’t know how to make pasta. I may not know what wine is paired with branzino. But there are a few things I know a lot about, and one of them is liquor licenses,’ Sartiano said.
‘And the other thing is noise. Because I owned nightclubs for 25 years, sometimes in residential neighborhoods,’ he added.
The hostilities have reached a new level, now with conspiracy theories flying right and left.
Village officials are even accusing Sartiano of staging fake noise complaints to make them look foolish.
But Sartiano insists he’s just a family man looking to create a wholesome spot.
The Mayor insists he has no vendetta.
‘I don’t have a vendetta. Like, is it because I don’t like veal parmigiana? Or is it because of some other reason? I don’t know. Why don’t they explain to me what the vendetta is?’ he said.
Anti-night club bumper stickers have appeared on car throughout the neighborhood, calling for ‘Zero Chance, Neighbors United Against Nightclubs.’
Many believe Sartiano’s restaurant is simply a ‘placeholder’ as he prepared to open a late-night club.
‘He is absolutely dead set on bringing Zero Bond to the village of East Hampton,’ village administrator Baladrón said.
According to Baladrón, Sartiano told him he would go up against the town and open a late-night spot even if the village fought against his idea.
‘He told me, ‘Well, you know, I’ll just go nuclear,’ Baladrón said.
The mayor has emphasized he has no plans on visiting the restaurant anytime soon – at least on his personal time that is.
‘I am not going to the restaurant,’ he said.