WEST ORANGE N.J. The Manor, is celebrating its 50th anniversary, a benchmark few restaurants achieve. So it’s particularly pleasing for Knowles to see The Manor, which he calls “a living thing,” continue the successful traditions he began five decades ago. —Harry Knowles has much to appreciate this year. His flagship operation,
The award-winning restaurant is the crown jewel in Knowles’ empire, which also includes Highlawn Pavilion and Pleasant-dale Château, also located in West Orange, and Ram’s Head Inn, located in Atlantic City, N.J. Knowles operates the restaurant with his wife, Doris, two sons Wade and Kurt, and grandson Kurt Jr. —Harry Knowles has much to appreciate this year. His flagship operation,
Over his long career, Harry Knowles has overseen the restaurant’s transition from an unassuming three-room dining hall into a 1,000-seat operation that attracts an international clientele and hosts events as varied as graduations, business meetings and award ceremonies. —Harry Knowles has much to appreciate this year. His flagship operation,
The Manor serves more than 212,000 meals each year, according to industry reports, with food and beverage sales for last year exceeding $14 million. By comparison, its first-year sales of $240,000 is matched and exceeded today by the receipts from just one of its several dining halls, which include the Caroline, Colonnade, Imperial and Virginia rooms. —Harry Knowles has much to appreciate this year. His flagship operation,
After serving as a World War II fighter pilot, Harry Knowles returned to the United States and started his own cigarette- and vending-machine repair service. After selling the business, he used the proceeds to purchase The Moresque, a modest restaurant situated on five acres of land in Northern New Jersey. Not content with such a small enterprise, Knowles continued to expand his operation, which was renamed The Manor in 1967, by adding 17 acres and six dining rooms over the next four decades. —Harry Knowles has much to appreciate this year. His flagship operation,
“For the first 25 years, we were a construction business as much a restaurant,” Knowles said. “I know where every nail in the building is.” —Harry Knowles has much to appreciate this year. His flagship operation,
The Manor was named to the Nation’s Restaurant News Fine Dining Hall of Fame in 1984. —Harry Knowles has much to appreciate this year. His flagship operation,
Constantly upgrading the restaurant has taken the Knowles family around the world to study architecture and food. One byproduct of this research is Le Dome, built in 1979, a glass-enclosed nightclub atop The Manor. The design for Le Dôme originally was conceived for the wife of Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd president of the United States. —Harry Knowles has much to appreciate this year. His flagship operation,
In addition to immersing themselves in European architecture, the Knowleses also traveled abroad in order to acquire furniture and artwork for The Manor’s dining rooms. Their purchases include a silver urn used at Queen Victoria’s coronation and large candle torchères used by President Woodrow Wilson. —Harry Knowles has much to appreciate this year. His flagship operation,
“It’s alive here,” Wade Knowles said, commenting on The Manor’s array of original artwork and antiques. —Harry Knowles has much to appreciate this year. His flagship operation,
Even with the temptation to conform to modern styles, Knowles insisted that The Manor maintain a classic atmosphere. The restaurant’s 50th anniversary menu revisits several dishes that have been successful during the past decades, including veal medallion Oscar or Châteaubriand prepared tableside from the 1950s, lobster Thermidor from the 1960s, and surf and turf from the 1970s. —Harry Knowles has much to appreciate this year. His flagship operation,
“Classical is always new,” Kurt Knowles Jr. said. “We want to reinvent, but never change the book.” —Harry Knowles has much to appreciate this year. His flagship operation,
Nevertheless, the kitchen has adapted in the past several years to provide such American regional dishes as Alaskan halibut crusted with Idaho potatoes and Maryland jumbo lump crab cakes. The restaurant generates a $79 per person check average. —Harry Knowles has much to appreciate this year. His flagship operation,
To maintain the Manor’s classic style, Harry Knowles recruited staff from international cruise lines, employing émigrés from Russia, Ukraine, Ecuador, Croatia, Spain, Portugal and Peru. Several staff members have been working at The Manor for nearly 40 years and have brought their children into the business. Chef garde manager Damiao Duarte, for example, works in the kitchen with his son, Paul. The Manor employs five full-time European-trained chefs who live on the restaurant’s grounds. —Harry Knowles has much to appreciate this year. His flagship operation,
The Manor also grows its own vegetables, raising 23 varieties of tomatoes and several different lettuces. A year-round greenhouse aids in the production of fresh fruits and vegetables. Local farmers supply the restaurant with products as well. —Harry Knowles has much to appreciate this year. His flagship operation,
Additional staff at The Manor includes on-site landscapers, gardeners and laundry personnel. The restaurant’s display of tables, chairs and chafing dishes are crafted by professional upholsters, carpenters and coppersmiths that work exclusively for The Manor. —Harry Knowles has much to appreciate this year. His flagship operation,
Harry Knowles attributes the success of The Manor to his staff, who consistently work to improve the restaurant. Signs are always displayed around the restaurant that read, “Pardon our appearance because we’re always improving for your enjoyment.” —Harry Knowles has much to appreciate this year. His flagship operation,
“Always put back into the restaurant,” Kurt Knowles Jr. said. —Harry Knowles has much to appreciate this year. His flagship operation,
Staying ahead of the curve is another factor in the Knowleses’ success. When The Manor first opened, it was one of the only fine-dining restaurants in the area. Fifty years later there are plenty of competitors, some attempting to duplicate The Manor’s recipe for success. —Harry Knowles has much to appreciate this year. His flagship operation,
Over the years The Manor’s clientele also has changed. —Harry Knowles has much to appreciate this year. His flagship operation,
“They’re much more educated now,” Wade Knowles said. “They’ve been to Europe and understand food and wine much more than they did in the past.” —Harry Knowles has much to appreciate this year. His flagship operation,
Topical issues, like the green movement, also affect the management of The Manor. The Marriott Residence Inn, which is located on the restaurant’s grounds, is the first hotel in New Jersey to adopt solar panels, making it completely energy independent. —Harry Knowles has much to appreciate this year. His flagship operation,
“We as a society are starting to realize how important it is for us to aggressively pursue the implementation of alternative energy,” Kurt Knowles Jr. said at the unveiling of the solar panels in January. “We now live in a time where we can be both environmentally friendly and economically responsible. New Jersey has the most aggressive alternative energy incentive program in the United States today.” —Harry Knowles has much to appreciate this year. His flagship operation,
The Manor also has implemented other ecofriendly measures, including the kitchen’s use of KOMAX mixers, technologically advanced machines that use enzymes to break down waste and convert it into clean water. The restaurant also uses vegetable oil as an alternative fuel for many of the on-site vehicles. —Harry Knowles has much to appreciate this year. His flagship operation,
With the increase in gasoline and energy prices, these measures help to offset the need for menu increases, the Knowles family said. “We can’t pass on to the customers management deficiencies,” Kurt Knowles said. —Harry Knowles has much to appreciate this year. His flagship operation,
In the meantime, Harry Knowles remains as optimistic about The Manor’s future as he was when he opened it in 1957. He has a simple plan to ensure success for the next 50 years: —Harry Knowles has much to appreciate this year. His flagship operation,
“Continue what we’re doing,” he said. —Harry Knowles has much to appreciate this year. His flagship operation,