Manny’s Turns 20

When West Of published its first issue in February of 2005, the West Ashley dining landscape looked quite a bit different. There were still several “old school” restaurants — places that were just synonomous with West Ashley — such as Liberty Café, Sunfire Grill, Nathan’s Deli, Penachio’s, Cisco’s Mexican Café, Kim’s Korean & Japanese Steak House, and Manny’s Neighborhood Grille. Now less than a decade later, Manny’s is the only one of these aforementioned “old school” West Ashley restaurants still in business.
Earlier this month, Manny’s celebrated it’s 20^th anniversary. It’s quite a feat for any business, but particularly one in such a dynamic and volatile world as the restaurant business. And especially in West Ashley, which has seen somewhat of a restaurant rennascaince in recent years. It seems every day a new competitor is opening up shop on our side of town. Not to mention, the last several years haven’t exactly been friendly for small businesses trying to survive it in a sluggish economy.
What’s the secret to Manny’s longevity? “Knowing who you are and what you mission is,” says Michael Stavrinakis, who along with his family opened the popular Greek restaurant in 1993. And while Manny’s is about to open its fifth location in its third state, that mission hasn’t waivered. “Good food. Friendly atmosphere. Good prices,” says Stavrinakis, who has been in the business since he was 8 years old.
For more than 20 years, the Stavrinakis-family owned a 24-hour coffee shop downtown on the corner of Meeting and Wentworth streets, now home to Jestine’s Kitchen. “My mom passed in 1987 and my dad got really lost so we started Manny’s in 1993,” says Stavrinakis. Named after his father, Manoli “Manny” Stavrinakis, Manny’s Neighborhood Grille has been part of the West Ashley fabric ever since.
A photograph, Manny Stavrinakis working on a merchant ship from Greece hangs in every Manny’s restaurant, including the one in West Ashley, North Charleston, Downtown Charleston, Statesboro, Ga., and will soon hang on the wall of a Manny’s in Charlotte, NC.
So not only has Manny’s survived the last two decades, but it has thrived. And doesn’t seem to be slowing down one bit. “I see us growing through franchising in a methodical system,” says Stavrinakis about the future of his restaurant brand. “We have a lot of interest in our concept. We select the franchisees that understand our food & our mission.”
But no matter how many Manny’s franchises open, West Ashley will always be Manny’s home. It’s where Michael Stavrinakis and his family live. It’s where his brother Leon Starvrinakis, a South Carolina State Representative, lives along with his family. It’s where it all began for the Manny’s Neighborhood Grille.
Along with fellow West Ashley veterans T-Bonz, Gene’s Haufbau, and Easterby’s, Manny’s represents the pioneering spirit of West Ashley’s restrautuers — those who chose to hang their shingle in a part of town that wasn’t really thought of as a dining destination in the eyes of those who lived outside of the 29407 or 29414 zip codes. While that’s changed quite a bit with the emergence of some fantastic eateries, those places can thank folks like Michael Stavrinakis, for blazing the trail out West. But if you talk to Stavranikis about it, he’s the one who is thankful. “We are humbled and honored that our customers have chosen to spend a part of there lives with us for the past 20 years.”
 
Manny’s is located at 1680 Old Towne Road. For more information, call 763-3908 or visit www.mannysgrills.com