Café Martin was one of New York's grandest restaurants and would have been the perfect place in 1904 to celebrate booming business. The newly formed National Association of Automobile Manufacturers comprised a membership of some 60 makers of motors cars including Ford and Buick, as well as the makers of automotive parts. The restaurant was run by two French brothers who had taken it over from Delmonico's, another culinary institution, and modeled Café Martin on a Parisian bistro, catering was on a lavish scale in the banqueting hall upstairs that was decorated with chandeliers and silk lined walls. The booze flowed – there were 69 types of champagne on the wine list – and mountains of food were served by uniformed waiters. An orchestra played in the background.