White Mana
Encyclopedia
Fast food
Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store with preheated or precooked ingredients, and served to the customer in a...
diner
Diner
A diner, also spelled dinor in western Pennsylvania is a prefabricated restaurant building characteristic of North America, especially in the Midwest, in New York City, in Pennsylvania and in New Jersey, and in other areas of the Northeastern United States, although examples can be found throughout...
s in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, named after manna
Manna
Manna or Manna wa Salwa , sometimes or archaically spelled mana, is the name of an edible substance that God provided for the Israelites during their travels in the desert according to the Bible.It was said to be sweet to the taste, like honey....
, the Biblical food. They were originally opened by Louis Bridges, who purchased the original diner that was introduced in the 1939 New York World's Fair
1939 New York World's Fair
The 1939–40 New York World's Fair, which covered the of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park , was the second largest American world's fair of all time, exceeded only by St. Louis's Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904. Many countries around the world participated in it, and over 44 million people...
in Flushing Meadows Park, Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
. Both buildings were manufactured by Paramount Diners of Oakland, New Jersey
Oakland, New Jersey
Oakland is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 12,754.Oakland was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 8, 1902, from portions of Franklin Township.-History:The Van Allen House...
in the late-1930s. Bridges owned five diners, all named "White Manna".
Jersey City, New Jersey
Western Slope, Jersey City
Western Slope is a neighborhood in The Heights, Jersey City, New Jersey on the cuesta, or gradual decline, of the western side of the New Jersey Palisades between The Boulevard and Tonnele Avenue....
in Jersey City
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
is a historical landmark and was the 1939 World's Fair building, including the first Mana to open. When originally introduced, it was called the "diner of the future" and an "Introduction to Fast Food
Fast food
Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store with preheated or precooked ingredients, and served to the customer in a...
." According to the present owner, Mario Costa, Jr., the reason for the difference in spelling was a result of an error when the sign was serviced. It is famous for its hamburger
Hamburger
A hamburger is a sandwich consisting of a cooked patty of ground meat usually placed inside a sliced bread roll...
s and sells approximately 3,000 a week.
Costa, who had worked at the diner through high school and college, bought the diner for $80,000 in 1979 from Bridges’ brother Webster. In 1996, Costa decided to sell the diner and lot for $500,000, but soon regretted the deal when he discovered that the new owners intended to replace it with a doughnut
Doughnut
A doughnut or donut is a fried dough food and is popular in many countries and prepared in various forms as a sweet snack that can be homemade or purchased in bakeries, supermarkets, food stalls, and franchised specialty outlets...
franchise. Costa attempted to back out of the deal, but the buyers refused to void the transaction. He filed a lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
to stop the sale, but lost. Eventually, the buyers agreed to sell it back to him at a higher cost than their purchase price.
In 1997, the Jersey City Historic Preservation Committee declared the diner a local landmark. White Mana is located at 40°44′50"N 74°3′42"W.
Hackensack, New Jersey
Hackensack, New Jersey
Hackensack is a city in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States and the county seat of Bergen County. Although informally called Hackensack, it was officially named New Barbadoes Township until 1921. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 43,010....
White Manna Diner is a fast food restaurant located at 358 River Street. The diner has been at the site since 1946, and it is on the banks of the Hackensack River
Hackensack River
The Hackensack River is a river, approximately 45 miles long, in the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, emptying into Newark Bay, a back chamber of New York Harbor. The watershed of the river includes part of the suburban area outside New York City just west of the lower Hudson River,...
. From time to time, two local brothers will pull up to the small store via boat, much to the delight of the patrons.
The White Manna Diner of Hackensack has also been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives is an American food television series that premiered in November 2006 on the Food Network. Produced by Page Productions, the program stars and is hosted by Guy Fieri...
and The Best Thing I Ever Ate
The Best Thing I Ever Ate
The Best Thing I Ever Ate is a program on the Food Network which premiered on June 22, 2009 . The program originally aired as a one-time special in late 2008...
on the Food Network
Food Network
Food Network is a television specialty channel that airs both one-time and recurring programs about food and cooking. Scripps Networks Interactive owns 70 percent of the network, with Tribune Company controlling the remaining 30 percent....
as well as Man v. Food
Man v. Food
Man v. Food is an American food reality television series. It premiered on December 3, 2008, on the Travel Channel. The program is hosted by actor and food enthusiast Adam Richman. In each episode, Richman explores the "big food" offerings of a different American city before facing off against a...
and Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations on the Travel Channel
Travel Channel
The Travel Channel is a satellite and cable television channel that is headquartered in Chevy Chase, Maryland, US. It features documentaries and how-to shows related to travel and leisure around the United States and throughout the world. Programming has included shows in African animal safaris,...
.
Both the Hackensack White Manna and Jersey City White Mana were featured in the "American Food Feud" episode of the Food Network
Food Network
Food Network is a television specialty channel that airs both one-time and recurring programs about food and cooking. Scripps Networks Interactive owns 70 percent of the network, with Tribune Company controlling the remaining 30 percent....
series Food Feuds
Food Feuds
Food Feuds is a weekly series hosted by Iron Chef Michael Symon that premiered on Food Network October 10, 2010. The show features food rivalries or "feuds" between local restaurants in cities around the United States.-Synopsis:...
.
White Manna is located at 40°53′21"N 74°2′19"W.