Puritan Backroom

The Puritan Backroom is a 2020 James Beard Foundation Award America's Classic restaurant in Manchester, New Hampshire. The restaurant serves Greek-influenced New England cuisine and is known for their mudslides and for chicken tenders, which they invented in 1974.

History
Arthur Pappas and Louis Canotas, Greek emigrants to the United States, opened the Puritan Confectionery Company in 1917.

In 1974, their children attached a back room for 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.

Puritan tenders are marinated in duck sauce. Marinated tenders are sometimes known as "Manchester chicken tenders" and are contrasted with "dry" tenders, which can be found at nearby restaurants like the Red Arrow Diner. Puritan sells 6-8 tons of chicken tenders each week.

As of 2020, the restaurant is 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 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, Bill Clinton, Marco Rubio, and Mitt Romney are among the political figures who have visited the restaurant.

Setbacks
On November 24, 2019, norovirus 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, they closed for a short time after a bartender tested positive for COVID-19.