Architectural engineer William Mann opened Mr. Mann’s Restaurant and Cocktail Lounge in West Philly in 1972. The Philadelphia Tribune reported: Although there are other locations in the city where it might have been easier to establish Mr. Mann’s, the corner of 48th and Market was chosen.
Mann told the Tribune:
Not because it was the best place; but because I would like to see it here. I believe that if Black people don’t put their businesses (in Black communities), no one else will.
National performers who appeared in the 200-seat lounge included Betty Carter, Norman Connors featuring Jean Carne, Bill Doggett, Billy Eckstein, Hazel Scott, and the Ramsey Lewis Trio.

Mr. Mann’s closed in 1976. The building was demolished in 2020.

