Giuseppe Viterale, an Italian restaurant manager, recounts how Donald Trump left without paying the $64 bill at his restaurant in Manhattan

Giuseppe Viterale, an Italian restaurant manager who has lived in New York for nearly 30 years, recounted to the Italian press an episode from the period when Donald Trump was known primarily as a businessman. The incident took place at Cellini restaurant in Manhattan, which was managed by Viterale.

Trump had dined with the owner of the Daily News, and at the end of lunch he left the restaurant to talk on the sidewalk. A waiter then informed the manager that the $64 bill had not been paid and that the employee would have had to cover the amount.

Viterale caught up with the businessman and told him that he had forgotten to pay. According to the account, Trump apologized, immediately paid the bill in cash, and spoke with the manager about his Italian roots. He mentioned that he appreciated Marinella Italian ties.

The story appears in Viterale’s book, “Rofrano - New York Andata e ritorno”. Over the course of his career, he has personally served figures such as Robert De Niro, Diana Ross, and Italy’s president, Sergio Mattarella. Asked about Trump in the current context, Viterale ironically compared him to a “stramacchia”, a local term for a wild and useless bush.