Some New York City institutions are made of brick and mortar. P.J. Clarke’s, the venerable Manhattan saloon-turned-gastropub that opened its doors in 1884 is one of them. For over half a century though, P.J. Clarke’s greatest landmark wasn’t the vintage red-brick walls or leaded-glass windows — it was a person.
Her name was Pat Moore, and the story of her incredible life, which ended on Aug. 15 at the age of 89, is the stuff of legend.
To the generations of customers at P.J. Clarke’s, Pat Moore was the gold standard. Before she was taking orders from celebrity regulars like Johnny Depp and Brooke Shields, though, she was gracing the pages of fashion magazines and stealing the hearts of the world’s most famous crooners.
“The trick of this whole business is to never forget a name or a face, and I don’t think she ever did,” television producer and lifelong P.J. Clarke’s patron Brooke Kennedy told The New York Times.
The historic gastropub posted a touching tribute to the “longest serving member of our P.J. Clarke’s family” on Instagram.
Messages from friends, family, coworkers, customers and strangers soon poured into the comments section.
“Pat was one of my first friends at PJs when I started working,” one commenter wrote. “She brought me under her wing and taught me everything I needed to know to be a good server and person. Such a wonderful woman. I will miss her greatly. ❤️”
“The best!” one former customer wrote. “She waited on us in May, she was a rockstar and always took such good care of us. Love hearing her story! May she rest in peace. ❤️”
“I need a hug reaction option for this @instagram,” another heartbroken fan added, “because I just can’t ‘like’ Ms. Pat passing.”
Moore’s granddaughter Samantha Watts also posted her own tribute to Instagram, which included a stunning black-and-white glamour shot from her grandmother’s modeling days.
Moore was born Patricia Anne Shalvey on St. Patrick’s Day in 1936 in the Bronx to Irish immigrant parents. In 1953, during her first year at Fordham University, she was crowned Miss Fordham and promptly tried on her mother’s maiden name for size, and in a flash she was signed to Ford Modeling Agency as Pat Moore.
She quickly became a successful model, appearing in ads for everything from whiskey and cigars to perfume and brassieres, and after her 1950s-era marriage to fellow model Gene Watts ended, Moore began her celebrity saga, dating two of the most beloved singers of all time: Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra.
“The way I heard it was, when Sinatra would come in, Tony Bennett wasn’t allowed to come in the restaurant,” Michael DeFonza, chef for the company that owns all five of the P.J. Clarke’s locations, told The New York Times. Moore, ever the professional, though, would just brush off her colleagues’ questions about if the two ever overlapped with a coy, “Stop it.”
Even after their romances ended, both famous singers remained devoted to Moore. Bennett was a frequent customer for decades, often bringing her flowers on her birthday or waiting in his car until her shift ended to take her out for a drink. A portrait of Moore which hung in her apartment even bore the signature “Benedetto 89” which was, according to Moore’s son Sean Watts, painted by Bennett himself.
Her dedication to her work at P.J. Clarke’s, though, was as legendary as her celebrity romances. When a 65-year-old colleague retired, Moore was having none of it. “You’re making a big mistake,” she told the woman. “You’re too young.” Determined to work until she was 90, Moore walked the six blocks from her apartment to the restaurant three times a week for her shifts long after her 80th birthday had come and gone.
Eventually, age caught up with her. In May, a broken hip led to a series of complications, and she died three months later, but her legacy lives on.
“What an incredible journey she had, touching so many lives and leaving behind such a rich legacy,” one fan commented on Facebook. “May her memory be a blessing.”
This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 28, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com ’
