Manhattan owners Michael and Heather Richards said previous owners Dave and Karen Milutinovich were essential to the transition. Photo by Ben Hensley

Fine dining in Fresno is often judged by the meal on the plate, selection at happy hour and the smells of prime cuts wafting from kitchens.

For new Manhattan owners, Michael and Heather Richards, the food is only half of the story.

Michael, who has been in the Valley for 32 years, said that he and his wife had frequented the Manhattan for years, getting to know former owners Dave and Karen Milutinovich and their family; when Dave decided that it was time to move on from the Manhattan, Michael said he approached him, offering to work with him to transition ownership to the Richards.

“Dave and Karen were legacies in the community,” he said. “We really were able to olive tree off of their legacy, and I think that’s an important part.”

Michael, who has owned several businesses including Right Now Couriers, California’s largest same-day delivery company, said the Milutinoviches didn’t just sell him the business — they helped along every step of the way.

“We got so lucky that this is literally the best people in all of Fresno that go to this restaurant,” Richards said. “They [the Milutinovich family] love the idea of keeping it the same, adding a few touches here and there.”

Those finishing touches, Michael said, will aim to keep much of the restaurant’s aesthetic the same as before, aiming to keep visitors — “family,” as Michael calls them — familiar with the longtime Fresno steakhouse.

Much of what will be changed in appearance will be minor, remodeling things inside the restaurant that need repairing and updating.

Restaurant ownership is something that Michael said they had always been interested in.

“We wanted to do something together — we actually like each other,” he said. “A restaurant’s not really a hobby, but it’s something that we get to do together.”

He said that, aside from the minor aesthetic changes, the Manhattan has already begun selling exclusively prime-cut steak, improving the overall quality of meat entrees at the restaurant.

“There’s nothing that you’re getting at the Manhattan now that isn’t prime,” he said. “It’s all the best quality prime that money can buy.”

Michael said that guests at the Manhattan can also expect a new dessert menu.

He said the ownership change, which took place quietly earlier this summer, couldn’t have been as smooth without the help from the former owners.

“It’s important to me to really express the gratitude and the gratefulness of what they’ve [the Milutinovich family] done, the legacy that they’ve built,” he said. “I’ve done a lot of business deals and I’ve never had somebody, after a business deal, try to be so helpful as they have to make sure that it’s successful.”