White Manna — Restaurant in Hackensack

I know this is a hot place and well known. However there are a few cons that are not always mentioned.

Pros: fresh beef Burgers cooked to order Snackable size burgers Good buns Good fries cooked to order Awesome 1950s style decor Good location in hackensack on the main road Free parking Prices are nice and cheap, i would say they have they have some of the best fast food pricing in the entire east coast for burgers & fries.

Cons: Nasty attitude on all 3 employees, especially the burger cook(I do fully understand why and forgive them for the attitude.. it is not their fault, i will explain below). Not enough seating Not enough parking Not enough employees Need 1 more grill & chef Need at least 1 more frier for the french fries Impossible to get a plain burger (all burgers will contain at least 5% to 10% in food scraps of onions, cheese and juices from both because of the way they grill the burgers) 30 minute wait time to get 3 mini burgers Burger cook cant or refuses to take drink and french fry orders. Burger cook has only 1 job, cook burgers, yet he forgot my order and several other customers. He constantly asks people what their order was or asks them again as if they didnt already order 15 mins ago.

I doubt the owner of this famous restaurant reads these reviews..but if he does, there are a few fixes he can to really improve this place: #1 if possible, expand the parking lot (buy up the lot next door for an easy fix there). #2 expand the restaurant for more seating #3 expand to include a 2nd grill used only for plain burgers #4 expand the back room to include 1 more frier for french fries so you can handle a rush crowd #5 train your employees to always be friendly #6 hire more employees. You need 2 burger cooks, 1 fry cook, 1 cashier, 1 helper and 1 dinning room person. #7 change the entire ordering system.. The cashier needs to take all orders (burgers, fries and drinks). Orders need to be handed from the cashier to employees. Either write down the orders on paper, or use a standard electronic POS system with a computer screen so the cook can see all the orders at once and check them off individually when they are complete (so the cooks will never forget what he is doing). Fry cook will be dedicated to cooking fries and bringing them to the front. The helper will hand out food. The cashier just takes orders and helps hand out food. There will be 2 cooks at all times. One cook makes plain burgers on the plain grill and the other cook makes only onion cheese burgers. Both burger cooks need to establish a regular cleaning schedule. During my 30 min wait, nobody cleaned off the grill. The dinning room person will clean and organize the line of new customers.

Part of the problem of no plain burgers is because of the way the burger cook works.. he puts down the fresh meat on a dirty grill. Then places heaps of onions on all the meat. Then he rapidly hammers all the meat very hard into the grill with a spatula until the onions are smashed into the meat. During the hammering process, lots of whole onion slices and onion particles fly around all over the place, even landind into plain burgers. Then he adds the cheese all over and it bubbles directly on the grill.. hammers again, splattering a mess all over.. then scoops up everything with the same dirty spatula and loads them into buns. So even if you ordered a plain burger, the grill it cooked on will have cheese, cheese oils, cheese juices and fragments of cheese, plus onion slices, onion oil and onion fragments. Then using the dirty spatula he will hammer your plain burger, smashing it into the dirty grill and flip it over and then load it into the bun. If you have any medical reason or allergies to cheese or onions or just dislike the taste of cheese and onions, then you will not be able to get a plain...

Let's first get the theme concept restaurants where they purposely hurl insults and treat customers with rudeness out of the way like Karen's Diner, The Wieners Circle or the like because White Manna isn't one of them.

Therefore I am going to rate this restaurant solely on the quality, taste, service, friendlessness and those kinds of criterias.

This rating is coming from someone who lived and worked in Bergen County for several decades and last 10 years or so in Southern California. Every time I come back here to visit family members, I make sure I squeeze in time to savor the White Manna fares. Talk about the royal customer even though I may be contributing meager $ 15 or $ 35 a year to their bottom line because that's how often I can effort to visit the place.

I've been noticing it for a while. More a cutely from the latest ownership/management because I gather the restaurant changed the hands over time. What ? it's not the gastronomic triumph or worth mention of James Beard Award or Michelin Star. It's just a tiny potatoes role that gives chewy texture and equally tiny meat patties grilled together with sliced onion. French fried people rave widely because you get to bite like 10 seconds after it's out of fryer. Your taste bud is shocked from the hit temperure that you are confused that it's out of this world fries. Wait till let it sit for 5 minutes and try again when cold. It's definitely from the bottom shelf of some restaurant supplies depot. For a whopping $ 5 per order, I believe it's 20 times markup. A small vanilla shake for $ 6 soooo much ordinary. I think they are Shake Shack or Five Guys.

2 cheeses burgers, 1 fried and a small shake came out to $ 15.99 total. With a 20 % tip I usually do, if I haven't restrained myself, the final could have been like $ 19.20. I gave a zero tips to save myself from going insane.

Now for the grand finale. Why two of the three staffs there have to be rude, nasty and even yell at your with hate look ( that was how it appeared to me and I took it) when I only try to place a small order. It was like 2:10 pm and being the past lunch times, the place is not even half empty.

So food no good, price that has gone up skyrocketed and service line you are humanly treated bad.

Management plead assess the whole situation and if my complaint is not unique and isolated one, think into it seriously and bring some changes around.

It's not just ruing with one bad experience lunch and sticker shock, more sadly to me personally is having yanked away my find memory and most ology about the place.

Time to move on I guess

" Food is symbolic of love when words are inadequate" - Alan D. Wolfelt, a North American doctorade, author, educator and life counselor

If the owner/management happened to read my review and reached me and said something like " Sorry to hear about your experience or the like" they they are warm human. Even after reading it and brushing off as nothing, then you are a hamburger flipping robot with an added-option of foul mouth:)

Have a wonderful rest of the week to the rest of...

White Manna: Hackensack's Hamburger Heaven (Since 1946!) Step back in time and into a Hackensack legend: White Manna. This no-frills diner, established in 1946, is a beacon for juicy, old-school burgers that have been satisfying locals for generations. Forget your trendy gastropubs and gourmet patties – White Manna is all about pure, simple burger bliss.

Burgers Worth the Buzz:

The star of the show is undoubtedly the slider: a small, griddle-cooked patty nestled in a soft, toasted bun. Don't underestimate its size – these little beauties pack a big punch of flavor. The meat is seasoned to perfection, juicy and bursting with beefy goodness. Each bite is pure burger satisfaction, enhanced by the classic toppings: melty American cheese, crisp onions, and a tangy pickle. You can customize your slider with additional fixings, but honestly, the simplicity is what makes it shine.

Beyond the Sliders:

While sliders are the main event, White Manna offers a few other diner classics: hot dogs, grilled cheese, and crinkle-cut fries that are as addictive as they are delicious. Wash it all down with a creamy milkshake (chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry) for the ultimate nostalgic treat.

Timeless Charm:

The atmosphere at White Manna is pure diner magic. Red vinyl booths, black-and-white checkered floors, and a counter with stools straight out of a 50s movie soundtrack transport you to a simpler time. The friendly staff adds to the charm, treating each customer like a regular. It's a place where generations gather, sharing stories and laughter over steaming burgers and fries.

The Verdict:

White Manna isn't fancy, it's just damn good. It's a place where quality ingredients, simple cooking, and timeless diner charm come together to create a truly special experience. If you're looking for a burger that will take you back to a bygone era (and leave you craving more), White Manna is a must-visit. Just be prepared for a bit of a wait – these Hackensack legends are worth the line!

Final Rating: 5...