“They took over the restaurant with my complete staff, all our systems, all our vendors—everything,” says Torpey, who is officially retired.
Marc Ashby, president of the hospitality company, didn’t plan on adding another restaurant to the collection.
However, most would agree it’s a good fit for the collection, which includes the Deer Park Tavern in Newark, Cantwell’s Tavern in Odessa and McGlynns Pub in Pike Creek, Bear, Dover and Greenville.
“It was a good opportunity for both of us,” Torpey said.
Retiring Stanley’s owner Steve Torpey, left, with Marc Ashby, center, and his partner Jeremy Hughes.
Stanley’s taste of history
Located at the corner of Foulk and Grubb roads, Stanley’s was likely built in the 1920s, and Bill Patton opened Bill’s Place in 1935. Patton may have run the business before Prohibition was repealed in 1933. (He’s behind the ham-and-cheese on rye, which is still on the menu.)
In 1947, Stanley Minakowksi of Wilmington’s Browntown purchased the building and renamed it Stanley’s Tavern.
Minakowski was as talented at finding water as he was at pouring beer. A News Journal reporter wrote about his “water witching” ability to find wells using a cherry tree branch.
Bill Brooks, founder of Brooks Armored Car Service, bought Stanley’s in 1972. The entrepreneur had other restaurant ventures, including the Buggy Tavern on Marsh Road.
The racehorse fanatic added “Horse & Buggy” to Stanley’s name to create a brand, but it didn’t take.
Brooks expanded the building and brought the sports theme into the mix; Stanley’s was among the first to have a large-screen TV.
Torpey worked at Stanley’s from 1974 to 1977 and returned shortly after a group of dentists purchased it in 1982. The building had fallen into disrepair, and the structure and the clientele needed a boost.
Torpey came on as a partner and eventually bought out the dentists. It wasn’t always smooth sailing. In 2002, Torpey was board president of the Delaware Restaurant Association, which opposed the smoking ban in public places. And, of course, Stanley survived Covid-related closures in 2020.
Stanley’s has been open in one form or another since 1935.
Moving forward
Over the years, Stanley’s became known for more than Monday Night Football and draft beer.
In 1982, food accounted for 9% of sales, Torpey said in 1987. That year, it was up to 60%.
Stanley’s was one of the first area restaurants to feature Buffalo chicken wings, and the baby-back ribs have won awards.
The salad bar, which had 66 items, including soups and gummy candy, ran nearly the length of one wall. The popular feature fell victim to the coronavirus.
So, will Ashby Hospitality bring it back? “That’s probably the most common question I’ve heard,” Marc Ashby said. “I wasn’t sure if people were serious, but I keep hearing it.”
Dead serious.
The salad bar was one reason office workers and families flocked to Stanley’s. But given the current health concerns, it’s not likely to return.
During COVID, Stanley’s erected a tent on the parking lot outside the front door, which is still standing. Before selling, Torpey secured licensing for a permanent patio, and Ashby said that a more durable structure is part of the group’s plans.
“That’s a decent-sized project, so I haven’t dug into that yet,” said Ashby. He and partner Jeremy Hughes are still recovering from opening the McGlynns in Greenville, which was new construction.
Ashby says Torpey maintained the building, and that’s a relief, considering he first started working with his father, Bob Ashby when the company took on the Cantwell’s Tavern, built in 1822.
The Historic Houses of Odessa reached out to Bob Ashby after his thorough renovation of the Deer Park Tavern.
“I could have easily imagined walking through Stanley’s and seeing everything breaking down,” Marc Ashby said. “That’s not the case.”
But keeping an old building in good shape takes work, and Torpey is ready to rest.
“I’m mainly taking it easy and getting into the next phase of my life,” he said.
