Exclusive restaurants can be a status symbol among the rich and famous. If you're a big shot, getting that coveted reservation shows the world that you can get into, and afford to eat at, whatever the hottest restaurant in town is.

But hot restaurants can come and go. For a restaurant to stay in demand after decades in business can be quite a feat. Which is why the history of Rao's, the famous Italian eatery, is unprecedented. It's been in business since 1896, and it's still impossible to get into, at least in the New York location.