••• “Seven companies submitted bids Monday afternoon to operate what will be New York City’s highest and largest observatory, at 1 World Trade Center, according to real estate executives. […] Executives briefed on the submissions identified the following bidders: Montparnasse 56 USA, an affiliate of the French firm that runs an observatory and roof terrace at the Montparnasse Tower in Paris; Legends Hospitality Management, which runs food services and merchandising at Yankee Stadium and the Dallas Cowboys Stadium; Danny Meyer, who owns a string of local restaurants, including Union Square Cafe, Blue Smoke and Shake Shack, and concessions at Citi Field and the Saratoga Race Course. He teamed up with GSM Projects, a Canadian firm; Aramark, a large food services company; Anthony E. Malkin, who operates the Empire State Building. Its 86th- and 102nd-floor observatories generate over $60 million a year in profit, more than any other deck.” That’s nice, but the Empire State Building experience is dreadful. —New York Times

••• “Ambitious new FiDi lounge Demi Monde is slated to open at the end of the month. One of the partners in the project is Death & Co owner David Kaplan, so expect some serious cocktails. […] The coffee program from LA’s Handsome Coffee Roasters will debut a few months after the opening.” A few months?! —Eater

••• More on the new NestSeekers International real estate office, headed by “Million Dollar Listing” star Ryan Serhant, at 156 Reade. —The Real Deal

••• “The New York Harbor School on Governors Island, in partnership with several other organizations, is leading oyster restoration efforts. On April 26th, the New York Academy of Sciences presented ‘Can Oysters Save the New York Harbor?’—a panel discussion about the future of oysters in the local waters.” —Broadsheet