In addition to the artists and writers of Greenwich Village, the Martin's clients over the years included the opera singers Jean and Édouard de Reszke, Pol Plançon and Nelly Melba as well as the painter Théobald Chartran, the violinist Eugène Ysaÿe, and the French statesman Jules Cambon.

[1] Orteig retained the Hotel Martin's French restaurant which had its own entrance on the corner of University Place and 9th Street.

Rechristened Café Lafayette, it had a tile floor and marble-topped tables, some of which were placed outside on warm days and was stocked with foreign newspapers and board games.

The Lafayette was particularly known for its mixed hors d'oeuvres, squab in casserole, filet mignon in bearnaise sauce, and pears flamed in a secret blend of French liqueurs.

[3][4] A bust of General Lafayette by Houdon was displayed in the hotel lobby, and from the late 1920s, the foyer was decorated with memorabilia from Charles Lindbergh's 1927 flight in the Spirit of St. Louis from New York to Paris.

Raymond Orteig first became interested in aviation during World War I and its immediate aftermath when the Lafayette became a favorite gathering place for American and French airmen.

When the building's lease came up for renewal in 1949, the Orteig brothers were unable to negotiate terms with the Snug Harbor trustees which would have kept the Layfayette economically viable.

Among the last-night diners who had filled the café were actor Winston Ross,[b] cartoonist Dorothy McKay,[c] producer Gilbert Miller, and Lady Hubert Wilkins who was writing an article on the Lafayette's closure for Australian Consolidated Press.