Restaurateur. He expanded his father’s modest 1856 tavern at the southwest corner of 8th Avenue and 58th Street in New York City into a nationally known establishment having 12 dining rooms and over 1,000 employees. According to his New York Times obituary, Reisenweber’s restaurant is credited as the birthplace of the modern cabaret, and, after 1901, the development of the floor show with stars, choruses and stage sets. Among the headliners were Gracie Fields, Sophie Tucker, and the Original Dixieland Jazz Band. It was the first restaurant with a dance floor for patrons. In 1913, it became the birthplace of the cover charge, when the floor show became so spectacular that a way to cover the extra expenses had to be found. The first cover charge was a quarter. Initially attacked, the charge became a distinction and was soon adopted by other establishments. Prohibition ended Reisenweber’s heyday. The two old buildings stood at the location of the original tavern near Columbus Circle until their demolition in the 1980s. (bio by: Bob Collins)