Manhattan, KS – Harry’s Restaurant, the upscale dining establishment located in the historic Wareham Hotel building in Downtown Manhattan, will permanently close in mid-July with the expiration of the restaurant’s current lease. The announcement comes as the legacy restaurant marks its 30th anniversary.
The regionally acclaimed restaurant was founded by restauranteur Julie Haynes in 1990 and has continuously operated since it was sold to Evan and Andrea Grier in 2006. Award-winning executive chef Cadell Bynum has provided consistent culinary direction for more than 25 years.
“This has been an extremely difficult decision,” said Evan Grier, Harry’s managing partner. “Our team will forever cherish the fond memories created within these special walls alongside of our customers who chose us for some of the most important moments in their lives. They made Harry’s successful for three decades.”
The COVID-19 pandemic created significant economic injury to many local small businesses, and for some, the impact proved fatal.
“Harry’s has survived downturns; however, this one proves insurmountable,” Evan Grier said. “The impact of COVID-19 and the uncertainty ahead is too much for Harry’s to overcome.”
The Wareham family, descendants of the restaurant’s namesake Harry P. Wareham, owns the historic Wareham Hotel building.
“The Wareham family has been incredibly supportive of Harry’s, and of us personally, during our 14-year tenure as Harry’s owners and operators,” Andrea Grier said. “It has been an honor to be a part of the legacy of this landmark building. We are eager to see what the future holds for the magical space at 418 Poyntz Avenue.”
Over the years, the Griers expanded beyond Harry’s and the former Harry’s Deli and opened Bourbon & Baker and created LOLO Hospitality, which operates Tallgrass Tap House.
“We are blessed with very talented colleagues and our goal is to create memorable experiences for our guests. We’ve decided to focus that energy on Bourbon & Baker and Tallgrass Tap House and are excited for the future of both of those brands,” Evan Grier said. “Although it’s still in development, we are working to create a new concept for Manhattan and look forward to creating jobs for our team and community.”
Harry’s will continue operations on Tuesdays through Saturdays through Friday, July 17 for dine in and carry-out orders. The Griers encourage patrons to use unexpired gift cards and strongly encourage reservations due to limited seating capacity. Reservations, carry-out orders and frequently asked questions concerning gift cards are all available on Harry’s website harrysmanhattan.com.
