Manning’s Cafe was opened on June 2, 1932. As soon as Prohibition ended, Ralph Manning applied for a beer license. Ralph Manning is the grandfather of the current owner, Larry Manning.

Ralph moved his family of eight to Minneapolis in 1927 after their fishing resort in Quebec was destroyed by fire. He bought the grocery store at 22nd and Como that year and housed his family in the apartment upstairs. There was a barn for the horse and for ice storage. They delivered groceries by horse cart and the store even had a fountain.

At the first opportunity in 1932 Ralph turned the grocery into a tavern, serving beer and hamburgers. Larry’s dad, Ed, took over from his father about 1949. Ed had worked for Schafer’s Grocery in dinkytown for several years and was ready for a change.

In 1957-58 Manning’s added a full kitchen to the building and expanded their menu to include fried chicken and steak. Before, the facilities had been just a grill and refrigerator behind the bar, serving a limited menu. In 1977, the kitchen was again expanded, this time about four times as large as the old kitchen.

In the early years Manning’s served 3.2 beer. Strong beer and wine was added in 1987. In June of 2005, a full liquor bar was added to compliment their famous draft beer. And yes, the beer lines are still cleaned every night!

Manning’s has been famous for great popcorn from the beginning. Ed charged a penny a bowl, saying he would charge the penny until the machine was paid for. The fourth popcorn machine is now in use. Manning’s pops about five tons of popcorn per year. It is rumored that many college students lived on free popcorn and beer at Manning’s over the years.

Manning’s is a place that thrives on loyalty. Regular customers have been coming to Manning’s for forty, fifty years. Several employees have worked for Manning’s for 25 plus years. Others have been loyal employees for over a decade. Manning’s relies on word of mouth advertising. The loyalty of their customers and employees is their greatest asset.