About

 

Delicious Dynasty
As director of operations for Mancuso’s Restaurants Inc., Grayhawk’s Fran Mancuso keeps her family’s dining heritage intact.

85255 magazine - September 2006
Story by Sally J. Clasen • Portrait by Jeff Newton • Food photography by Chris Bassett

     When Fran Mancuso’s father, Frank, told his 12-year-old daughter in 1964 that the fam­ily was moving to Phoenix from Auburn, N.Y., she had no idea where they were heading but she was determined not to go. Despite her objections, Fran relocated to the Valley. More than 40 years later, she is gratefully entrenched here and up­holding the family’s reputation as successful owners of several Italian restaurants.

From Waitress to Spokeswoman

     When the Mancusos landed in Phoenix, they had no restaurant experience – her father worked for General Electric at the time – but mother Agnes’ dream was to open a dessert parlor.  In  1969, the family debuted Fran’s Italian Fruit Ices on Seventh Avenue just north of Missouri. 

“We borrowed $1,000 from my mom’s parents and opened with a few barstools and tables and 10 different fla­vors,” says its namesake.

     Fran’s parents did the cooking while 14-year-old Fran was the sole waitress of the tiny operation, which was the first of its kind in the city.

     “I did my homework in between tables,” she says.

     After suggestions from customers, mostly Camelback car salesmen, the Mancusos expanded their menu to include subs and pasta. Space constraints forced a move in 1971 to Seventh Avenue and Pierson, where they opened a full-fledged restaurant called Fran’s Italian Gourmet Dining. The Mancusos then moved their concept to Seventh Avenue and Coolidge in 1974, opening a restaurant that was an homage to the Old World, complete with white pillars, and blue and gold decor.

     “You should have seen it,” says Fran. “It was so ornate.”

     The family kept their downtown location for more than a decade, changing its name a few times and opening up other restaurants in the Valley and California throughout the ‘80s, including the award-win­ning Mancuso’s at the Borgata in 1982, which received several Wine Spectator Awards of Excellence for Best Italian Food.

     Though Fran has moved up the employee food chain, the restaurant business is the only career the 53-year-old Grayhawk resident has ever known. Today, she is director of operations for Mancuso Restaurants Inc., which includes their latest venture, Bobby’s, Frankie’s Little Italy and Mancuso’s at the Summit.

     In April 2005, the doors closed on the family’s longest-running restaurant, Mancuso’s at the Borgata, as well as the adjacent Frankie’s Patio Cafe, due to the Borgata’s renovation plan that involved tearing down certain parts of the center to create more open spaces for shoppers. Mancuso’s at the Borgata, a castle-like banquet hall complete with ornate chandeliers was, according to Fran, the family centerpiece.

     “I got up the next day, drove to the parking lot and just sat there and stared. It was bittersweet, but we had a good run. Now we’re focused on the other side,” she says of the their current concepts in north Scottsdale, which range from contemporary casual to upscale dining and continue to feature signature Mancuso dishes.

Protecting a Legacy

     Each day, Fran shuttles among restaurants, taking reservations on loose paper she pulls from her purse and solving facility issues with a cellphone that rings non-stop. In between calls, she greets staff with her signature “Hi, honey,” chats with managers about non-restaurant topics and agrees to pick up a stranded waiter on the other side of town so he can make his evening shift.

     “We’re all family here,” she says. She also relieves the manager of Mancuso’s at the Summit two days a week.

     “My day starts around 9 a.m. and sometimes ends at 9 p.m. I like to say this is a 25/8 business. I eat, sleep and breathe it.”    

Her younger brother Bob, 45, is president of the company and handles the financial side, as well as hiring and developing menus for their mini-empire, which increases to 150 members during peak season.

     “This isn’t a huge corporation, but Bob and I take 110 percent re­sponsibility for it,” Fran says. The Mancuso siblings, whose family-owned operation is rare in the corporate dining industry, have two good reasons to protect their dynasty.

     “We scraped by,” says Agnes, 81. “My husband and I worked hard and didn’t give up. We’re the American dream. We’ve been able to leave a legacy to our children, and they’re doing a beautiful job.”

Chef Michael DeMaria, chef and co-owner of Michael’s at the Citadel, attributes the Mancuso’s success to their business savvy and longevity.

     “The Mancuso name is certainly one you recognize in the Valley. It’s a tough city to service due to the ebb and flow of the industry. There aren’t many you can list who’ve been in the business for even 10 years. The list gets even smaller in the 20- and 30-year range,” says DeMaria. “You have to know how to survive and redesign and reinvent yourself. The Mancusos have done that. They are restaurant people.”

     Peter Maland, 82, of Sun City met the Mancusos years ago in New York and has witnessed the family’s progression from simple dessert-shop owners to sophisticated restaurateurs.

     “It’s phenomenal what they’ve done,” Maland says. “I’ve never seen a couple work harder than Frank and Agnes. Usually, a restaurant hires people to make it successful, but in the earlier years, the Mancusos did it own their own.”

All in the Family

     Although the Mancusos can take credit for helping to shape the Valley restaurant scene, no one in the family rests on their laurels.

     “Years ago, we had no competition, but today, we welcome it. Even though we’re confident in our category, the restaurant growth in the Valley keeps you on your toes,” says Fran, who is guided by her father’s voice as she manages her tasks in the business, a role she assumed in 2000.

     “He never leaves my mind,” she says of Frank, who passed away in 1993. “He always said: ‘People don’t have to eat at our restaurant.’”

     Customers, though, have chosen to return to Mancuso’s hospitality time and time again. Bob estimates that millions have dined at their restaurants, which Fran describes as happy, bright and inviting.

     “We have longevity because we played by the rules, had faith and work hard every single day,” she says.

      Diners also seek out Mancuso’s flair for serving great northern Ital­ian food, still mostly based on Agnes’ recipes, including her sauces. Bob calls her the queen of the taste buds.

     “Everything has to meet my specifications,” Agnes says. Fran, who has a son, Brandon, 23, rarely takes a break but manages to shop and seek refuge at her home, a tribute to coastal living—and, perhaps, missed vacations. Growing up in the restaurant business has been a struggle at times, but she wouldn’t trade her upbringing.

     “It’s second nature. I can’t imagine doing anything else,” says Fran. “I still laugh every day. Thank God my parents had the gumption to get into the business. I’m proud of the Mancuso name.”