The Victor Cafe Family Fund

The Victor Cafe of Philadelphia has had a unique mission for 109 years:  recognizing that "Man does not live by bread alone".

It's no accident that Grandpop John DiStefano called his place the "Music Lovers' Rendezvous". Three generations of our family have made great Vocal music the focus of our work, selling state-of-the-art recordings (1911-1933); becoming known for Spaghetti and Serenades (1933-1972); to our latest chapter: LIVE PERFORMANCES of Classical and Operatic arias from1972 until Sunday, March 15.  After 109 years of continuous operation - through 2 World Wars, the Spanish flu, and periods of social upheaval - we closed our doors to the public SOLELY in an effort to limit the spread of COVID-19. 

Now, the music has stopped - the applause does not sound. 

Our part-time Singing Waitstaff are also full-time professional performers. By Friday March 13, every paying professional engagement across the USA and Europe had been cancelled due to COVID-19, affecting everyone on staff. Concerts, operas, gigs, choirs, teaching opportunities — all cancelled. Our singers rely on these professional engagements, as well as shifts at our restaurant, to make their living. They now have neither. 

We are reaching out to those who know and love The Victor Cafe, and who remember the Singer who made your occasions extra-special to stand by them In these truly unprecedented times with a DONATION. 

Our family is seeking every means possible to create an Emergency Fund  (which of course we are already self funding as absolutely best we can) for our family of singing waitstaff and our loyal kitchen. 

Our goal is to raise $50,000, the funds to be distributed based on the express needs of the Staff to cover rent, groceries, utilities and prescriptions . We are grateful for out-and-out DONATIONS, but are also selling Gift Certificates, redeemable as usual, once we re-open (Gift Certificates available here).
We FULLY expect, when this crisis has resolved, to be Serving and Serenading you again, as we have been doing for over 100 years!
As show-biz Great, Jimmy Durante, so famously said (in about the year we opened) "YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHING YET!!"


Chip in now - be generous -  you'll be paid back many times over.

In deepest gratitude,
The DiStefano Family and the 50 wonderful people we have the privilege of employing