In The Kitchen: Mannino Kitchen and Bar

Pictured left to right: John, Frank and Joe Mannino

Locations:
1575 Montauk Highway, Oakdale, NY 11769 
Tel: 631-218-0909

2158 Jericho Turnpike, Commack, NY 11725 
Tel: 631-462-0909

40 East Main Street, Smithtown, NY 11787
Tel: 631-724-0210

www.manninosrestaurant.com

Over my 3 decades of working with thousands of entrepreneurs, I’ve gained a lot about what it takes to run a business. What drives success and how it is attained continues to fascinate me. I’ve known the Mannino brothers for close to 30 years and for the first time, I asked Joe Mannino to sit down with me so I could learn more about how he with brothers John and Frank rose to a level of success of which they are proud.

When Joe was only 12 years old, his parents decided to emigrate the family from Sicily to the U.S. for a better way of life. “At a very young age our father instilled in us a strong work ethic, so working hard came second nature to us,”’ says Joe.

 At the age 14, Joe immersed himself into the restaurant business by becoming a dishwasher at a family member pizzeria. Over the years that followed, Mr. Mannino gradually shifted over to prepping food, working alongside head cooks to learn as much as he could about the trade. By the age of 18, it was no longer work and became Joe’s passion.

I met the Mannino brothers back in 1996. They were just 21,22 and 23 years of age when they broke ground at their first location on Commack Road. Since then, their vision has grown to three locations, that includes Smithtown and Oakdale. With the demand of the Mannino brand growing, in 2012 the boys took a leap of faith and moved from their initial location on Commack Road to Jericho Turnpike. From there, the business just continued to grow and for good reason.

Mannino Kitchen and Bar executes a variety of cooking techniques, but the foundation of their menu has always been of a Southern Italian influence. As Joe explains it, “you could say that many of our dishes are old school with a bit of a twist. We keep abreast of what’s trending and introduce new dishes regularly, but never stray too far from what our customers have grown to love and appreciate about our food.”  Joe was proud to tell me that many of the soups and sauces found at all the Mannino restaurants have been influenced by their mother. As the writer of this article, for me this is a clear statement of honor and authenticity and what you can expect when you come and dine at any one of their restaurants.

I asked Joe what have been the guiding principles that have influenced the popularity of the Mannino brand of food. Joe continues, “It all starts with using the freshest ingredients and the best quality products. That aside, our recipes have been designed to contain the basics that allow the natural flavors of the food we serve to come through. Lastly and equally important is the consistency in the dishes we put out. The nicest compliment that we get from our customers, is that our food always tastes the same.”

Here are just some of the entrees that remain all time classics  by their loyal patrons.

Pollo Mannino; A fried chicken breast pounded flat with sautéed onions, fresh plum tomato, and morsels of mozzarella in a balsamic vinaigrette.

Veal Chop Mannino is a signature dish that you’ll always find on special. Lightly breaded then stuffed with prosciutto and melted mozzarella.

Spicy Rigatoni alla Vodka is quite popular and recently added to their menu. In a spicy cream sauce tossed with fresh rigatoni vodka is addictive.

Pasta Amatriciana is as traditional Italian as it gets. It features a sauce of sautéed onions, guanciale (cured pork) and crushed plum tomato, poured over fresh pasta then finished with pecorino cheese is considered to be an old-world classic.

Cowboy Style Ribeye: A 22 oz cut encrusted with herbs has an intense flavor profile that stands up to any high-end steakhouse quality.

I asked Joe, how has the  Mannino restaurant brand been able to sustain close to three decades of operation? As Joe explains it, “as hands on owners, we treat every day as if it were our first. We still come to work every day. It doesn’t matter how much success we’ve enjoyed. You cannot let up for a moment. Our customers, staff and business can never be taken for granted, because for every day that we’re open our reputation is at stake.”

Whenever I come to dine at  Mannino’s, you’ll always find Joe, walking through the dining room, talking to his customers and making certain that every person is enjoying themselves. For me, this is the most important aspect of the restaurant business. Every customer wants to feel appreciated and that’s exactly what you can expect when you dine at any one of their restaurants. Knowing the Mannino brothers since their inception, I have grown to appreciate what it takes to build a family brand synonymous with distinctive quality and exceptional service.

Bringing our interview to a close, I asked Joe, what has been the secret sauce for their success? In Joe’s own words; “It’s no secret at all. My brothers and I work on making our business better every single day. We are hands-on operators and still after 28 years, when the need arises we go into the kitchen, roll up our sleeves and cook. That aside, we keep our employees engaged and stress the importance of how to best present our hospitality to our loyal clientele. The goal has been and will always be, to make certain that every single plate that is placed in front of our customers exceeds expectations.”

From their humble beginnings Joe, John and Frank have become the epitome of what success is. With desire and plenty of sacrifice, the Mannino brothers went out to earn their place as one of the most respected and recognized restaurant brands on Long Island.