Don Radebaugh…
TOLEDO, Ohio – In 1916, World War I had already been raging in Europe for two years while President Woodrow Wilson contemplated America’s move on the world chess board. On the much more peaceful home front, Wilson signed a bill creating the National Park Service, the Chicago Cubs played their first game in modern-day Wrigley Field, the United States Army flew their first mission over foreign soil in Mexico, and Gus (Mancy) Manosakis, still a teenager, with no more than a few dollars in his pocket, left his homeland for good and sailed for America.
He was 17 and alone when he left his home Isle of Crete in Greece. He did not speak English, and knew not a soul on the other side. That said, he might as well have been blasting off for the moon…it probably seemed that way to a wide-eyed kid. Still yet, the reward in his head must have been worth the risk. He busted through the fear of the unknown and, with a one-way ticket, set out on an overseas adventure.
“My grandfather would always say, ‘a child growing up in Greece always heard the stories about America with its streets paved in gold,’” said Gus Mancy, the grandson who followed in the family footsteps.
“It intrigued him…it was his motivation to come here. Once he got here, he realized the roads weren’t paved with gold but he also discovered that if you work very hard in America, they could be.”
Like all immigrants in the early 20th century, the road to citizenship traveled through Ellis Island. It was there where Manosakis learned that his name would be shortened to Mancy, essentially giving up part of one thing to become part of another.
“He knew where he wanted to go…he knew he wanted to be in restaurants, and he thought he needed to be in America to make it happen. But he only had a few dollars in his pocket, and no money to start a business. The best paying job he could find was working in the steel mills in Akron, Ohio. He made a dollar a day, and worked seven days a week. It took him five years working in the mills to save enough money to start “The Ideal Restaurant.”
The year was 1921, and Gus Mancy, along with his cousin Nicholas Graham, opened their first restaurant on Phillips Avenue in Toledo. The location was ‘ideal’. The trolley cars circled out front and provided easy access to and from downtown Toledo. There was so much promise in the air. The First World War was over. America was optimistic again; it was the beginning of the “Roaring 20s”, a period of sustained economic prosperity. But that was of course followed by the Great Depression. Despite the ups and downs and all-arounds, the restaurant persevered.
“When the depression hit, they just went to work harder. Back then, the restaurant was open 24 hours. They were bound and determined not to fail. They were literally open 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. It wasn’t until ’46 when they decided to close on Christmas Eve. It was the first time they had ever closed the restaurant. They had to call out a locksmith to open the door because it was never locked. They never closed the restaurant. It was their home.”
In 1964, it became Mancy’s Ideal; then in ’73, it became Mancy’s Steak House. The name changes in ’64 and ’73 coincided with watershed moments in the family business.
“In ’64, the second-generation took over – my father John Mancy and his brother George. They bought out Gus and Nicholas. But my grandfather Gus continued to work every evening at the cash register. He worked to the very end…he passed away at 90 in 1988. He worked here on the last day of his life. After he left for the final time, he passed within 10 minutes of being home.”
The original building on Phillips Avenue, built in 1901, had three distinct rooms and served initially as an Oldsmobile carriage dealership. In 1921, a portion of the building was renovated to become the restaurant. There was also a west Toledo clock shop that operated from the building. There were actually three businesses on the lower level with a fourth upstairs.
“For 70 years, you could come here to dance and eat or fix a clock.”
And that was true up until 1973 before the building caught fire and burned to the ground. Only the wooden-carved clown that greets customers today in the front lobby survived the fire. With the original building gone, there was, however, a structure immediately to the West that survived the nearby inferno.
“John and George had already purchased the building. They did buy some property next to Frank Uncle’s after the fire…thought about Sylvania, but chose to keep it here. They liked the easy access to I-75, so they moved into the building next door and we continue to operate from there today.
“Our grandfather and fathers built a great legacy here. We have big shoes to fill…all of us do. People have come to expect great food, great service and honest value. Getting there didn’t happen overnight.”
Gus is part of the third generation of Mancy’s that transitioned into ownership roles in 1989.
“Each generation had the opportunity to listen and learn from each generation before. Our grandfather established some very unique principles to live by. We’re all students of the business. We were all dishwashers, busboys and cooks. My cousin Nik is a very successful attorney, but he felt his calling was to come home…back to the restaurant business. He came back and started Shorty’s. My cousin Mike is my partner here at the Steak House.”
The third generation of Mancy’s was not pushed and prodded into the family business. They arrived by choice.
“The second generation never forced us into this business, but if you do decide in this business, you go out and take your lumps from someone else first…that’s what they told us. In the 80’s and 90’s, we all worked for different restaurant corporations. The philosophies and principles we all learned from our grandfather and from my father John and Uncle George were invaluable.”
And like their grandfather and fathers before them, most of the third generation today is in the restaurant business. However, most in the third generation, unlike their grandfather and fathers before them, graduated from Ohio State University prior to setting out on their own in the restaurant world.
“My brother George worked with the Bravo Italian chain when they had just one or two stores. He turned that experience into Mancy’s Italian. My brother John is also a graduate of Ohio State. He relocated to Philadelphia as an executive chef. Then he came back home and was our chef (at Mancy’s) before he opened the Bluewater Grille in 2005. It’s a family partnership across the board.”
The “across the board” reference makes up Mancy’s Restaurant Group, which includes the Steak House, Mancy’s Italian Grill, Mancy’s Bluewater Grille and Shorty’s True American Roadhouse.
Through all of the changes, modifications, renovations and generations that came through Mancy’s Steak House, one thing remains the same, and that would be the perpetual 5-star quality of the food that ultimately and always comes on the plate.
“We still adhere to the same time-honored recipes, processes and traditions the generations taught us. One example would be our French onion soup. Without all the secrets, we have an 80% blend of beef and veil stock that takes 15 hours to make…and that’s just one recipe, one example. Our bread is made from scratch every day. Our butcher is here every day.”
The quality at Mancy’s does not end with the great recipes that ultimately become some of the best dishes you’ll ever taste. Partners Gus and Mike continue to invest in the grand ole edifice that holds all the time-honored traditions, stories, recipes, work ethic and ambiance that can only describe Mancy’s.
“We literally gutted this place and completely renovated the restaurant…we’ve spent a million dollars renovating over the last 18 months. We’re ready for the next 20 years and more. We’re completely committed to Toledo, just as my grandfather, father and uncle were. This is our home, and we work very hard to ensure that our guests are at home here.”
Gus’s partner in the family business is his cousin Mike. Mike is George Mancy’s son.
“Our grandfather and fathers built a great reputation,” Mike Mancy said. “They’re gone, but their great work ethic remains. Gus and I are here most of the time. We have to be here to succeed. It’s not enough to pop in every now and then…you have to be here to succeed. We know that part of our success is our great employees…we’ve always had great employees. There are some here on the staff that has been here for more than 30 years…one lady that’s still here worked for my grandfather. We have a great reputation, and thankfully, it’s still very much alive.
“My dad was very hard working…very likeable person and I always admired that. He had a lot of friends. He really enjoyed his customers and that no doubt added to our success. He loved the social part of this business, and that’s a very important component in this world.”
With a 20-year-plus future plan for Mancy’s Steak House, the 100th year anniversary looming on the calendar in a half-dozen years is by no means a stretch.
“We’re working from the business model our grandfather and fathers taught us, but we also understand the world’s changing and we’re doing our very best to stay ahead of it,” Gus Mancy continued. “We have an online reservation system…we continue to invest in our products, renovate our space…we’re in a constant state of improving everything we do. Like our grandfather, we strive to be the best.
“This is our home, and it’s your home too, and we plan to keep it that way for the rest of our days. My grandfather’s idea of winding down in his 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, and just into his 90’s was to work here at the restaurant all day and into the night. You’d see him at the cash register, with his customers. Every night, he’d eat a petite filet, a Greek salad, a half of a baked potato, a half bottle of beer and a little scotch for dessert. He always ate simply…always ate fresh foods. He had fantastic health.
“This place means a lot to our family. This is not just a restaurant…it’s a home, and it’s been that way for going on a hundred years. It’s a great experience, and we want our customers to share in our experience.”
Renowned for their fantastic steaks, there’s something of quality for everyone on the menus, including an attractive wine list, pork chops, succulent lamb chops, shrimp, swordfish, whitefish, huge lobster tails with drawn butter, and Alaskan king crab legs, all satisfying on their own if you should decide to go without steak as an option.
“Our steaks are aged and hand-cut on premise, seared at 1500 degrees and expertly prepared.”
Like their grandfather and fathers before them the third generation continues to insist on the best and freshest ingredients. In addition to the quality steaks, the Alaskan red king crab, coldwater lobster and fresh fish are flown in daily from both coasts. Fresh-baked bread, sauces, and desserts are made from scratch daily, and most of the recipes are those handed down from generation to generation.
To reserve a table at Mancy’s Steak House and/or to learn more about the family, the menu, catering, private dining options and Mancy’s Restaurant Group, please visit www.mancys.com.