Club's storied bathroom attendant 'The Rev.' dies - New York Post

He was "The Butler" of the bathroom.

The 21 Club's legendary men's room attendant, Lorenzo "The Rev." Robinson — who toweled-off presidents, prime ministers and sports heroes — died on Thursday after 23 years of working at the historic Manhattan restaurant. He was 71.

The cheerful stall sweeper — whose fascinating life parallels the White House servant who inspired the movie "The Butler" — left such an impression on Ronald Regan, the former president once gave him an expensive gift.

"President Reagan went into the men's room and when he tried to turn on the water to wash his hands, The Rev. said, 'No, Mr. President. You can't do that, let me,'" said Shaker Naini, a receptionist who worked with Robinson at the upscale Midtown eatery for decades.

"Reagan took off his cuff links right there and gave them to him. He wore them every day. They were the presidential cuff links."

Robinson's ability to quickly read the restaurant's rich and famous patrons — including Donald Trump, Mohammad Ali and Nelson Mandela — was part of his charm, Naini said.

"He was a walking encyclopedia. He would mesmerize you. He made it so once you met him, you wanted to come back to talk," Naini said.

Robinson began working at the 21 Club after his uncle Otis, who held a bathroom attendant job before him, died in 1989.

He soon earned the nickname "The Rev." because he was an ordained minister, who spent his Sundays preaching, friends and co-workers said.

The 21 Club.

Robinson worked 14-hour days, six days a week, commuting 3 or 4 hours from his home in North Stamford, Connecticut, where he lived with his wife Jeri.

"He never called in sick. He loved this place — this was his life. His pride was to say, 'In 25 years, I never called in sick and never came late.' He was very proud of that," said co-worker Pedro Guerrero.

Robinson often greeted patrons who entered the restaurant's opulent men's room by proclaiming, "Hello, Young and Handsome!" — even if the customer was neither.

"He was a great guy with a great personality. Everybody loved him," Donald Trump, who sometimes dines at the restaurant, told The Post.

In 2004, Robinson told the New York Sun his most memorable client was Mandela.

"It was his persona, his mystique, his quiet spirit, having been incarcerated 27 years," he said.

He later admitted he's special because he enjoys serving other people.

"I don't find today many people who were born in this country who will do what are perceived to be menial tasks," he told The Sun.

"When I leave, it's going to be an end of an era," he said.

A funeral for Robinson will be held Nov. 2 at Mount Zion Baptist Church. The cause of death wasn't clear, friends said.