In a show with such a detailed tale as The Sopranos, many locations are needed to eradicate monotony. And among the many great locations traversed in the mafia-infested New Jersey is the Bada Bing!. The topless dancer nightclub is where members of Tony's DiMeo crime family enjoy hanging out and discussing business.
Owned by consigliere Silvio Dante, the Bada Bing! is where a couple of the key decisions are made, including the canceled hit on Don Hauser and the vow to kill Big Pussy if any evidence is found on him. However, there are many other details about the Bada Bing! that fans of the show are probably not aware of.
Fans of The Sopranos who aren't familiar with the proceedings of The Godfather might think of Bada Bing! as a cool and unique name but it isn't. Bada Bing! is a catchphrase first popularized by Sonny, one of the Corleone family's most adored members.
As one of the liveliest characters in the Francis Ford Copolla project, it isn't a surprise that Sonny would be the one to come up with such a name. And since the mobsters in The Sopranos are shown to be such huge fans of the movie, it isn't such a shocker that they named their favorite hangout spot after a Sonny catchphrase.
The Bada Bing is based on New Jersey mobster Vincent "Vinnie Ocean" Palermo's popular nightclub known as Wiggles. The nightclub was eventually shut down by authorities.
Tony Soprano is also said to be partly based on the DeCavalcante crime family mobster. A couple of differences can be noted between the two. While Vinnie Ocean eventually turned into an informant, Tony never even considered going that route. Vinnie Ocean also owned another strip club in New York whereas the DiMeo crime family only ran the Bada Bing!
There is a large mugshot on the wall of the Bada Bing! office. This mugshot is of legendary singer and actor Frank Sinatra when he was 23. Sinatra's crime? The seduction of a married woman back in 1938.
Interestingly, this particular mugshot was included in a show where characters thrive in infidelity. Almost every mobster has a mistress. Even Tony's wife, Carmela, sleeps with AJ's guidance counselor when she gets tired of his cheating. However, the mugshot is also fitting since Sinatra was alleged to be one of the mob's favorite celebrities.
A real-life New Jersey go-go bar named Satin Dolls was used to film the Bada Bing! scenes. Thanks to its connection to the show, the bar's sales skyrocketed.
In a case of reality imitating fiction, Satin Dolls was briefly shut down due to ties to mob activity. Just as Tony and his buddies are shown to admire characters from mob movies, real-life mobsters presumably look up to Tony and his crew too, hence the reason they also chose Satin Dolls as a hangout joint.
There is now a New Jersey coffee shop chain known as the Bada Bean! And inside each shop are pictures of The Sopranos characters and several other mob pop culture figures.
Bada Bean! is indeed a creative business name, the only problem being that the chain was founded in 2020, over a decade after the end of the show. Perhaps sales would have been higher if the business had been set up at the height of the show. However, true fans will be eager to pass by frequently.
