Amid a Scramble for Midtown Tenants, a Restaurant Opens in the MetLife Building

Franklin Becker, co-founder of fast-casual Little Beet, AI grocery app Hungryroot, and the big-pocket backer of Manhattanville food hall, has opened his second restaurant this year. Following the Press Club Grill, Becker has rolled out a spot that seems to be hedging bets on the return of affluent financial service workers to Midtown, despite the area’s “panic” for tenants. This week, he has opened Point Seven with Stephen Loffredo (from Cena and Soho’s Jovia), at 200 Park Avenue, at 44th Street, inside the MetLife building. The two-story restaurant features a raw bar, small plates, and fish dishes like grilled swordfish with chickpeas and couscous, and a Caribbean fish stew. The name of the restaurant is a reference to the earth’s composition which is 70 percent water, so the interior pushes the oceanic theme with coral-like lighting fixtures, curved seafoam-colored banquettes, and broken terrazzo floors, like sea glass.