“Manhattan’s is special to me in so many ways. When I bought it, I wrapped my arms around it and loved it like my own,” says Mary Hisel, owner of Manhattan’s NY Deli and Pub.
This delightful eatery opened in 1987, showcasing a limited deli menu with live band performances in the evenings. Since the restaurant’s opening, the business has undergone new ownership as well as drastic remodeling, thanks to Hisel. “I wanted to make changes to grow the business and I had a lot of experience from working in corporate restaurants,” she says.
Hisel graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1988 with a degree in business administration and management. Coming out of college she went into banking management and soon realized it was not her passion. Even though she always grew up working in restaurants, she did not always want to own one.
While working in banking, Hisel still waited tables at night and was later offered a managerial position. The restaurant’s general manager transferred to Texas for better opportunities and wanted Hisel to work by his side. She decided to leave behind her banking job and move to Texas. She would later open restaurants in Texas, Oklahoma and Colorado. After seven years, she moved back to the East Coast, which is when Manhattan’s “fell into her lap.”
When Hisel took ownership of Manhattan’s she knew she was going to have to make significant changes including menu additions, staff development and new attractions for customers. “When the original owners offered to sell the business to me, I knew how much work would go into it. I still decided to buy it and went in with full force to try and make it successful,” she says with a smile.
When it comes to Manhattan’s menus, there are a large variety of sandwich choices for lunch as well as anything you could possibly think of offered for dinner. The most ordered dishes include the Manhattan wings as well as its Chesapeake crab dip. However, when it comes to Hisel’s favorite, you will often see her enjoying the blackened tuna bites, served with a Cusabi dipping sauce. “I swear every time I am working I get those tuna bites,” she says, laughing. “Sometimes I try to change it up and get the steak bites but I always end up going back to the tuna,” she says.
Lunch at Manhattan’s offers a menu of smaller portions of the dinner options. Happy hour is available every day, 3–7 p.m., and is extended to 9 p.m.
on Tuesdays and Thursdays. And on Wednesdays, 7–9 p.m., there’s a discount on drinks.
In addition to ongoing specials, a variety of entertainment options are offered throughout the weeknights. Monday nights is trivia time, Tuesdays and Wednesdays consist of karaoke and on Thursdays and Fridays an onsite DJ entertains. Hisel says, “The majority of our business is from happy hour to late night.”
Hisel describes the restaurant as a family reunion because everyone knows each other. Her day manager, Williams, has worked with her on and off for a long time. “You will see Everett during the day waiting tables, answering the phone or bagging to-go orders, “Hisel says. She describes the staff at Manhattan’s like family and even customers know the feeling. “We have customers who have been coming in for forever,” she adds.
When she is not at the restaurant, Hisel spends time with family or goes to the gym with her husband. You may also see her around at other restaurants in the Hampton Roads community as she explains how she loves to find local dinner spots with her husband.
As for the future of Manhattan’s NY Deli and Pub, Hisel explains that she loves where it is and does not want to constantly change things around. “As trends change, the restaurant will change. The reality is people prefer things to stay the way they are, and our loyal customers love the atmosphere here, so I think I will keep Manhattan’s how it is for a while,” she says with a twinkle in her eye.
