157 years of steaks and service at an iconic Manhattan restaurant

“A warm greeting at the door and a solid cup of coffee — that’s what diners remember most,” says restaurateur Greg Sherry, co-owner along with his brother, Marc, of the iconic Old Homestead Steakhouse on the far west side of downtown Manhattan.

This may sound surprising when your restaurant is known for serving ample portions of prime, dry-aged beef, along with the classic accompaniments. But what Greg means is that, in a city with thousands of restaurants, good food is table stakes. The personal touch brings people back.

Old Homestead has been welcoming guests at its Meatpacking District location for 157 years, making it the oldest continuously operating steakhouse in the United States. It also happens to be one of the original listings in American Express’ first 1958 Merchant Directory, accepting Card Members for the past 67 years.

Outside, vintage neon and a life-size Hereford cow sculpture promise an authentic beef lovers’ experience. Inside, red-leather banquettes, brass accents, and coffered wooden ceilings complete the picture.

“This is what a classic steakhouse is,” Greg said. “People who come here want a juicy steak full of flavor. We never change the core menu or procedures. Once in a blue moon we might make a menu addition and see how it plays out. Otherwise, what sets us apart is hospitality.”

A family affair

Sherry would know. He’s been working in the business since the 1960s, when his grandfather, Harry Sherry, owned the restaurant with several partners.

“He was more of a bon vivant than a restaurateur,” Greg says of his grandfather. “He wanted a place where he could invite all his friends to hang out.” Greg worked summers learning the ropes, eventually coming on full time. He and his grandfather bought out other partners in the 1970s, and Marc joined the team several years later.

In those days, the Meatpacking District was literally as described — an industrial area full of beef purveyors who supplied New York City’s restaurants.

“We were in the heart of the industry, and all the workers would dine with us, usually for lunch,” Greg said. “That enabled us to go into their facilities and hand-select the best cuts of meat before anyone else.”

The landmark cow sculpture, named Annabelle, has perched atop the restaurant since 1958, advertising the “king of beef” that awaits inside. Coincidentally, that happens to be the year the first American Express Card launched.

Old Homestead has been accepting the Card from the very beginning.

“American Express’ type of clientele was our clientele,” said Greg. “Many customers were business-oriented in the early days. They came in with the Card and they spent money. Through the years, there’s no doubt our relationship has helped us grow.”

Traditions and innovations

While Greg and Marc Sherry like to keep their steakhouse classic, they’re also innovators. In the early 2000s, after developing a relationship with Japanese officials seeking the brothers’ counsel on exporting Wagyu beef, the Sherrys became the first U.S. restaurant owners to be allowed to bid on and import the highly prized steak. “At the time, people said it would never sell because we would have to charge such a high price to justify the cost,” says Greg, “but we’ve always bought as much as we could get and sold all of it.”

In that same period, Greg was approached about establishing a second Old Homestead location in the Borgata hotel and casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. After some initial reluctance to expand, the Sherrys reconsidered. “I didn’t know anything about operating in a casino,” Greg recalled, “but I said, ‘I will learn, and we will give it our heart and soul.’”

Now, 22 years later, Old Homestead Steakhouse in Atlantic City remains a highly successful signature eatery at the Borgata. (The brothers also opened a third location at a casino in Las Vegas in 2013, which Greg describes as a “fabulous 10-year deal” that wrapped up two years ago.)

Meanwhile, the original location is still going strong even as the area has transformed from its meatpacking roots into one of Manhattan’s most desirable neighborhoods, full of upscale fashion retailers, influencers, and tourists. That change has been good for Old Homestead, Greg says, because it brought in a whole new group of customers, including a younger demographic.

As business owners, the Sherrys have adapted, shifting their marketing to social media and testing out some new menu items from time to time. “Otherwise, the heart of what we do is the steaks and the service,” Greg said. It’s befitting for a restaurant that accepts American Express. “That will never change.”