Imagine being in the running for one of the most prestigious awards in your profession. Now imagine not being able to share what you were recognized for. Manoli’s restaurant in Salt Lake City is going through that right now.
Just a short walk from Liberty Park, the 54-seat Greek restaurant specializes in smaller, tapas-style dining. In late January, it was named as a semifinalist for a prestigious national James Beard award in the “best hospitality” category.
“The James Beard is like the Oscars for restaurants in the United States,” said Chef-owner Manoli Katsanevas.
“I think that was the one category, outstanding hospitality, that we were excited about because that's what being Greek is all about. It's hospitality, right? Like you want to create an environment for people to feel comfortable and to just want to hang out, eat, drink and have a good time together.”
If Katsanevas’ name sounds familiar, it might be because his family founded Utah’s well-known Crown Burgers chain of restaurants in the 1970s.
Katsanevas, who cut his teeth in the kitchen as a teenager at the chain’s 3300 South and Highland Drive location, credits that early exposure to a lot of his success now.
“Everyone wants to open a restaurant,” he said. “It's a romantic idea, but until you get into it, you're like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is a lot. This is like a 50-, 60-, 70-hour work week.’”
A James Beard Award can be a career-defining moment for a chef. The list of past winners includes names like La Brea Bakery’s Nancy Silverton and barbecue legend Rodney Scott. But Katsanevas couldn’t capitalize on the nomination and serve his food. That’s because the restaurant is getting a remodel — and not an intentional one. It’s not something Katsanevas ever intended to happen.
Just before New Year’s, a water line burst overnight in the business above Manoli’s and sent hundreds of gallons of water seeping through the ceiling into the restaurant.
“My wife and I got a phone call at 7 a.m. from one of our prep cooks and said, ‘Oh my God, there's water everywhere. You guys need to get in here and take a look,’” he said. “So we came in and it was just like raining from the ceilings and we were kind of in shock. We didn't really know what to do.”
The water destroyed almost everything. The drywall was soaked, the carpets were ruined and the kitchen was flooded.
“It's just always a lot worse than you can actually see, you know?” he said.
Insiders say the restaurant business is all about momentum. It doesn’t matter if you’re fine dining or a small food truck, any recognition — even a good review on a local food blog — needs to be taken advantage of.
“That's a huge advertising achievement that he wasn't able to capitalize on in any significant way,” said Ethan Lappe, who has known Katsanevas for years.
Lappe currently serves as the restaurant’s accountant. He’s also the former owner of Salt Lake’s Caffe Niche and now helps local restaurants handle things like payroll, taxes and other finances.
“It just takes that one person coming in to have a good experience to tell two or three people and it just kind of builds like that,” he said. “It was a huge shame that [the recognition] wasn't capitalized on and just a little extra kick in the pants.”
They’ve done some select catering since the restaurant closed — like during the NBA All-Star weekend — but for the most part, nobody has had the chance to experience the hospitality Manoli’s and Katsanevas were recognized for.
“It was like, great, we got nominated. We're like, ‘Can we even make it to the next level?’ Because now we're closed,” said Katsanevas. “It's frustrating in that regard where it's like you want to see right after an award how that affects your business. It was a little bit of a bummer thinking that we couldn't be open right after we got that award. But at the same token, what do you do?”
You’d normally hear the sounds of dinner guests making conversation over a meal and chefs busy preparing food at Manoli’s. Instead, over the past few months, it’s been the sounds of power tools and construction workers.
Some of the hardwood and kitchen equipment, like ovens and cooktops, escaped major damage, but the rest wasn’t as lucky. Good insurance and a rainy-day fund kept the restaurant afloat and employees paid through construction delays over the past five months, but that doesn’t mean it’s been smooth sailing.
“You know, it's kind of like pandemic mode again, where you're like, ‘Oh my gosh, what the heck am I doing with myself?’” he said.
The damage couldn’t have happened at a worse time. The start of 2023 promised a busy stretch of holidays and big events like the NBA All-Star game and the Outdoor Retailer trade show.
“They were literally prepped up and ready for New Year's Eve,” added Lappe. “They bought all the ingredients, had the menus out, had the reservations, and then came in the next day to what looked like a thunderstorm inside of the actual restaurant.”
Manoli’s did not make the list of James Beard finalists. Did the restaurant being closed have anything to do with it? Katsanevas isn’t sure, but it’s more of a motivation to come back stronger when the restaurant does reopen.
“The silver lining is we basically get a new restaurant, so that's really cool,” he said. “It's just it's been hard being closed this long and then making sure you keep the staff and all of that kind of stuff. But it is what it is. That's life. It's definitely been a struggle, but we're excited to open back up and we're going to get back to normal and get ready to rock and roll.”
Manoli’s is targeting a grand re-opening on May 16.