Courtesy Manhattan Exchange
By Christine Graf
Beth and Doug Davis, owners of Manhattan Exchange in Schenectady, have opened a second restaurant in Jonesville, east of Ballston Spa.
The Exchange opened its doors at the end of June at 857 Main St. in a space previously occupied by the Main Street Grill.
Beth Davis is a baking and pastry graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, and her husband, Doug, is a Schenectady native with extensive restaurant experience.
“He worked for the Malozzis, he worked at the Pentagon (restaurant in Schenectady), he was the opening chef of Duke’s at the casino,” said Beth Davis.
Davis worked at Villa Italia for a decade before the couple opened Manhattan Exchange in January 2020. That restaurant serves upscale pub food and seats 100.
“We were working so hard for other people, and we wanted to give ourselves the opportunity to work that hard for ourselves,” she said.
The Davises own both buildings that house their restaurants. They purchased the 1.64-acre Jonesville property in 2022 for $545,000. The property includes the building that houses the restaurant as well as a second smaller building and a barn.