The Puritan Backroom is a restaurant in

Manchester, New Hampshire Manchester is the List of municipalities in New Hampshire, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. Located on the banks of the Merrimack River, it had a population of 115,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Manches ...

. Opened in 1974, the restaurant serves Greek-influenced

New England cuisine New England cuisine is an Cuisine of the United States, American cuisine which originated in the New England region of the United States, and traces its roots to traditional English cuisine and Indigenous cuisine of the Americas, Native American ...

and is known for their

mudslide A mudflow, also known as mudslide or mud flow, is a form of mass wasting involving fast-moving flow of debris and dirt that has become liquified by the addition of water. Such flows can move at speeds ranging from 3 meters/minute to 5 meters/ ...

s and for

chicken tenders Chicken tenders (also known as chicken goujons, tendies, chicken strips, chicken fingers, or chicken fillets) are chicken meat prepared from the pectoralis minor muscles of the bird. These strips of white meat are located on either side of the ...

, which they claim to have invented in 1974. In 2020, it was awarded the title of America's Classic by the

James Beard Foundation The James Beard Foundation is an American non-profit culinary arts organization based in New York City. It was named after James Beard, a food writer, teacher, and cookbook author. Its programs include guest-chef dinners to scholarships for asp ...

History

Arthur Pappas and Louis Canotas, Greek emigrants to the United States, opened the Puritan Confectionery Company in 1917, selling candy and ice cream. In 1974, their children built a room behind the candy store to house a restaurant. That same year, Charlie Pappas salvaged chicken pieces that had been trimmed from larger cuts, marinating and frying them to create chicken tenders. Although references to chicken fingers and "chicken sticks" predate the introduction of chicken tenders at Puritan, it is difficult to tell if these refer to modern chicken tenders; a 1952 recipe for chicken fingers, for example, involves cream of chicken soup, pie crust, and shredded chicken. As of 2020, the restaurant was run by the third and fourth generations of the Pappas family, including New Hampshire congressman Chris Pappas. Due to the importance of the

New Hampshire presidential primary The New Hampshire presidential primary is the first in a series of nationwide party primary elections and the second party contest, the first being the Iowa caucuses, held in the United States every four years as part of the process of cho ...

and the restaurant's location in the state's largest city, Puritan "has become a required stop for candidates passing through on the campaign trail. In an era of division, it is a rare nonpartisan space where everyone feels welcome."

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

Marco Rubio Marco Antonio Rubio (; born May 28, 1971) is an American politician, lawyer, and diplomat serving since 2025 as the 72nd United States Secretary of State, United States secretary of state. A member of the Republican Party (United States) , Rep ...

, and

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 ...

are among the political figures who have visited the restaurant.

Setbacks

On November 24, 2019,

norovirus Norovirus, also known as Norwalk virus and sometimes referred to as the winter vomiting disease, is the most common cause of gastroenteritis. Infection is characterized by non-bloody diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach pain. Fever or headaches may ...

struck 18 people who attended a private function at the restaurant, and may have caused the death of one person. In March 2020, a fire caused about $80,000 in damage. In September 2020, the restaurant closed for a short time after a bartender tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

References

External links

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Familiar Stumps: The Puritan Backroom
{{Coord, 43.0104, -71.4543, display=title 1974 establishments in New Hampshire America's Classics winners Buildings and structures in Manchester, New Hampshire Greek restaurants in the United States Cuisine of New England Restaurants established in 1974 Restaurants in New Hampshire