Founded by Italian immigrants John Ganzi and Pio Bozzi, The Palm opened its first location on 837 Second Avenue in New York City in 1926. The northern Italian entrepreneurs who began The Palm tradition intended it to be a restaurant specializing in cuisine from their native Parma, Italy. The name "Palm" originated when the proprietors obtained a business license. They wanted to call it "Parma," but because of their Italian accents, it translated into "Palm."