Stars Dining in Chicago’s Famous Pump Room

When stars traveled across country via train in the 1940s and 1950s, they would have a 10-hour layover in Chicago. Between trains, like the Super Chief from Hollywood and the 20th Century Limited heading to New York, they would have eight hour layover.

• Celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, and Phyllis Diller ended up in the Windy City, they made a night of it; and dining at the famous Pump Room inside the Ambassador East hotel was an essential part of their cross country trip.

When Ernie Byfield opened The Pump Room in The Ambassador East Hotel on October 1, 1938, he undoubtedly had little idea that he was beginning an enterprise that would still be thriving to this day.

Today, The Pump Room remains a magnet for movie stars and celebrities as well as a highly-acclaimed restaurant and Chicago landmark.

The Pump Room – 1960s…

A 1977 view of the Pump Room at the Ambassador East.

One of the few restaurants in the country to be immortalized in a Sinatra song, the Pump Room in Chicago is now a hot spot once again.

• The Pump Room was one of the first quality restaurants to open in Chicago after the end of Prohibition, and soon became a Windy City icon.
• In addition to Sinatra (who sang the praises of the place in the classic song Chicago), the place was a favorite hangout of a lot of famous people including Marilyn Monroe, Sammy Davis, Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable, Ronald Reagan, Bette Davis and numerous others.

Patrons arriving and leaving at The Pump Room – 1940s…

The `Pump Room’ where king crab meat is served on flaming swords.

• The Pump Room, named after a spa in Bath, England, remained open long after the giants that once graced its premises had left.
• Unfortunately, time took its toll on the legendary establishment, and its culinary fare was soon surpassed by the fine dining scene exploding in Chicago and characterized by uber-chef Charlie Trotter.

The Pump Room – 1940s…

In 1938, Mr. Byfield was inspired by a place called the Pump Room that dominated the scene in 18th century England. Located in the resort city of Bath, The Pump Room was a place where Queen Anne and other stylish Londoners converged to revel in the social life at night after a long day. The Pump Room was named after the hot water drinks “pumped” into its patrons’ cocktails.

• The Chicago Pump Room was an immediate hit, and for a time its Booth #1 may have been the most sought after table at any dining establishment in the country.
• In addition to Sinatra, who frequently held court with Jilly Rizzo and a number of other associates in Booth 1, it was occupied at various times by Clark Gable, John Barrymore, Gertrude Lawrence, Bogart and Lauren Bacall. Liza Minnelli may have been the youngest Booth 1 regular, taken there many times during her childhood by her mother Judy Garland.
• Byfield’s Pump Room was a success from the day it opened. Chicago’s socialites perched themselves along the large room’s western wall to observe the celebrities who made their appearances along the east side of the room. Those guests seated in Booth One, perhaps the more renowned table in the country, attracte
• d the most attention.  Famed actress Gertrude Lawrence, who was starring in a play in Chicago at the same time as The Pump Room’s debut, established its reputation. Miss Lawrence staged a nightly gathering in Booth One during the play’s entire 90-day run. From that moment on, The Pump Room became the place to see and be seen.

Lucius Beebe (the society columnist who coined “cafe society”) featured The Pump Room in his New York column along with magazine stories.

• Stars, celebrities, etc. lunched regularly at The Pump Room for the short layover en-route by train between New York and Hollywood or San Francisco.  They would overnight on the 20th Century Limited or The Broadway Limited from New York to Chicago – then dine at The Pump Room – and continue West on the Super Chief, The Chief, the Golden State, Cities of Los Angeles or San Francisco and the California Zephyr.

John Barrymore roared for champagne; Bette Davis could be found curled up on the piano bench; Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall celebrated their wedding in Booth One, as did Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood.

• Liza Minelli grew up in Booth One and has fond memories of dining there with her mother, Judy Garland.
• Ms. Garland immortalized the restaurant in the lyrics to “Chicago”, with the words “we’ll eat at The Pump Room/Ambassador East, to say the least”. And of course, Frank Sinatra held court in Booth One countless times.

Elizabeth Taylor with Eddie Fisher,  Frank Sinatra, Ronald Reagan in The Pump Room

After Byfield’s death in 1950, The Pump Room held on to its allure as a place for stargazing. A new generation of luminaries took up residence in Booth One.

Judy Garland at the Pump Room…

CW: Robert Wagner, Natalie Wood; Carol Channing; Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.

Mel Brooks personally greeted each guest; Paul Newman and Robert Redford lunched on ham sandwiches and pilsners every day during the shooting of “The Sting”. Michael J. Fox, Eddie Murphy and Jim Belushi have all continued the tables’ famous tradition.

Opera star Beverly Sills has added some high notes to the room, while a few rock and roll legends like David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, Olivia Newton-John and Mick Jagger, have added some of their own. A little known drummer was refused entry when he failed to pass the dress code and titled his solo album, “No Jacket Required” after the incident. His name- Phil Collins. (He was sent a new jacket by way of apology.)

Ed Sullivan in The Pump Room.

The Pump Room experienced a revitalization in the late 1990’s when it was purchased by a large restaurant management group.

Timeline

1926 The 285-room Ambassador East hotel opens in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood.

1938 Restaurateur Ernie Byfield opens the Pump Room in the hotel.

2010 Real estate developer Ian Schrager—known for cofounding New York’s Studio 54—buys the Ambassador East for $25 million.

2011 Assets from the Ambassador East, including its famous rotary phone, are auctioned off as part of the hotel’s liquidation sale. The hotel is remodeled and reopens as Public Chicago.

2016 Schrager sells Public Chicago to investors Shapack Partners and Gaw Capital for $61.5 million.

2017 The hotel is renamed Ambassador Chicago. Rich Melman’s restaurant group, which formerly owned the Pump Room, returns to manage the space and renames it Booth One. After a remodel, the team installs a rotary phone at the famed table from which the restaurant now takes its name.