[3] The deli has long been a meeting place for Chicago politicians[4][5] and became the subject of national interest because of its popularity with President Barack Obama.

[6] One writer called Manny's "the second-most-likely place to see local politicians, after City Hall",[7] and former governor George Ryan referred to it in his memoir as "one of my favorite places to eat lunch in Chicago" and reminisced about once receiving a phone call from Nelson Mandela while eating a corned beef sandwich there.

[8] Manny's traces its history back to 1942, when the Raskin brothers, Jack and Charlie, went into business together in Chicago, opening the Purity deli located at Van Buren and Halsted streets.

[9] After World War II, Jack Raskin opened his own restaurant on Roosevelt Road near Maxwell Street, where he purchased a business known as Sunny's.

[10][11] The restaurant had various locations over the ensuing years, with Manny Raskin eventually taking over for his father Jack.