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There are obvious centers of power: business headquarters, movie studios, government buildings. Then there are the places where power is wielded quietly—the rooms where ideas are born over martinis, business deals brought up over Barolos, and networking is verboten, but deeper conversations are very much in vogue. And in Los Angeles that place is Tower Bar.
The restaurant inside the near-century-old Sunset Tower has long been the preferred evening playground of Hollywood’s power players—not just for A-list celebrities (although there are plenty of those, with regulars including Mick Jagger and Jennifer Aniston) but the studio heads, superagents, and other invisible hands that guide the multibillion-dollar entertainment industry. In a 1947 letter, Truman Capote described the Sunset Tower as “a very posh establishment” where “every scandal that ever happened happened.” Not much has changed.
At the heart of it all is Dimitri Dimitrov, the 75-year-old maître d’. He oversees the room’s intricate choreography every evening—the reservations, the seating chart, the VIPs, the walk-ins, the drama—in an Armani blazer and Timex watch given to him by Bill Murray. Known for his attention to detail and charming Moldovan accent, Dimitrov is so beloved by the powers that be in Hollywood that he’s become one of them: In 2022 he played a maître d’ in Don’t Worry Darling, and in September 2024 The Hollywood Reporter announced that a documentary about him was in the works. “In a town where gossip is the coin of the realm, Mr. Dmitrov is a sphinxlike figure who knows everything and says nothing,” read a 2011 profile of Dimitrov in The New York Times. “And, like Erich von Stroheim in Sunset Boulevard, his loyalty to his fragile industry charges is fierce and absolute.”
So this Oscars weekend, Vogue asked Dimitrov to give us a day in his life. It starts with coffee—and dozens of calls asking for reservations—and ends with a seating chart. Below, read everything that happens in between.
11 a.m.: Getting Out of Bed
I get six and a half hours of sleep. On a weekend, maybe half an hour more. But if I only have three or four hours of sleep, I feel it. I’m not good. I’m irritated, so I’m not as good. It’s a very slow waking up.
Midday: Coffee and Reservation Requests
By 12, I’m having my coffee. There are already dozens of incoming calls to try to make reservations. I see what we can do on the floor plan with timing, quantity, and table, who we can accommodate.
I’ll be making probably 6 to 12 calls to various important clients. And I’ll tell them that the reservation is confirmed. If there are little changes—they would like a reservation at 7:30, say—I’ll tell them, “Can you please come half an hour earlier? We’re looking forward to serving you.” In a very humble way.
I like them to know that I’m texting. Even if I make a spelling mistake, that’s fine with me because it lets them know that’s me texting back. This goes from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m., answering the phone.
3 p.m.: Getting Ready
I’m just getting ready. There is no shower, it’s a bath. If I was a plumber or, oh my God, an electrician, maybe I’d have a fast shower. But with what I do, it’s not a fast shower—it’s a good bath.
4:15 p.m.: Arrival at Sunset Tower and Finalizing Seating Charts
I arrive at 4:15. [The hostesses] have already printed out the reservations on paper. They help me with the table assignments.
[There are some tables] for privacy and conversation or romantic couples. [The one] that overlooks the piano and bass player—that’s Tom Ford’s table [if] he’s in town. There’s a table in the cove for four people. Very important people who would like to discuss business will get that one. They don’t like to be in a scene.
Those front tables are for younger clientele who really like to see and be seen, just to soak up the vibe of the place.
4:30 p.m.: Mise en Place
Then I prepare the restaurant. I’m mostly concerned about table settings, the symmetry, the cleanliness of the place. The look of the presentation of the room is so important. My signature quality is mise en place, a French term for preparing for the service and restaurant. That’s what I excel in.
Tower Bar is a historic space. The building has a historic Hollywood background. My job is to keep it in the best physical condition—neat, clean, and presentable.
6 p.m.: First Reservations Arrive
Early reservations are coming at 6, 6:15, 6:30. [On Saturday night], we had to accommodate Emma Stone earlier because they were going somewhere. We don’t do that often, but that was an exception, to open the restaurant a little bit earlier. I adore her.
As soon as people come, they will announce their names to the hostesses. But I already know their name. I know even the table assigned. But still, the hostess likes to know who is seated and who is with me already. So as soon as they announce, I just take them.
I greet them the most politely I can. That first impression is important. And then I’m walking with them. They see the restaurant, how it’s beautifully done.
Then I have a little small chat: “How is your evening?” They will tell me they are going somewhere else afterward or they’re staying with us. This information is important. Indirectly I will find out—is this a business meeting? Do they want a quieter table or loud? [If they say] “Dimitri…this is business business,” immediately, I change the location to a table in the back. So this is a situation where nothing is written in stone. Even when the tables are assigned, everything is fluid and changes at the last moment, depending on the desires of the guest.
8 p.m.: Working the Floor and Turning Tables
The restaurant, from Thursday and Friday, you could feel the Oscar [buzz] in the room. [On Saturday night,] we did a Netflix party on a terrace. It’s not only the actors but also the agents from CAA and UTA.
Thursday, Friday, that was more martini drinking, celebration. Saturday, yesterday, the talent left early and they were not drinking because they will be working Sunday. They will be at the Oscars presentation.
Interaction with the clients is very polite, very kind—but very short, even with some guests who I have known for years and years. I would love to talk. [But] I pull back because I like to be really focused on everything, what’s going on with the dining.
Vogue: Do you ever sit down?
Rarely.
11 p.m.: Last Orders to the Kitchen
At 11, the last orders are going to the kitchen. At 11:30, the kitchen is asking me what I would like for my dinner. It can be sea bass, salmon, or shrimp, but always with lots of vegetables and salad.
Midnight: The Final Hour
From midnight onward, I’m still on the floor but just more relaxed. Everything is relaxed, people linger, having an after-dinner drink, and it’s quietening down in the dining room. Before the hostess goes home, we check tomorrow’s reservations on the computer. I’m already identifying the layout of the floor plan for the next day.
I like each night to be memorable to our guests. That memory hopefully lingers on—and hopefully they might even remember the night forever.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
