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Reminder Assistant Editor EAST LONGMEADOW Selectman and businessman James Driscoll has chosen to sell his Wilbraham establishment, O'Driscoll's Irish Pub and Restaurant, after five years of service. "Running a pub was something I always wanted to do," Driscoll said. "I had a blast doing it. It's just time to move on." He added that he'll miss being involved in the pub but he won't miss running it. Driscoll noted that he raised over $300,000 for charity in four years during events at the pub and said that Wilbraham was "a great town to do business in." "It was a great day when I opened it and it'll be a great day when I leave," he said. He credited that greatness to a wonderful staff and customers who have become friends. Driscoll added that one of his best friends met her future husband at the pub the couple are getting married in August 2009. "That's just one of the great things that's happened there," he stated. O'Driscoll's is being sold to John Lenville of Indian Orchard, who said Driscoll had been giving him some advice in his search for a turnkey business. "He mentioned he was putting his place on the market," Lenville said. Lenville, who has never run an eatery before, said he was excited about the prospect of it. "Since I was a kid, I've always loved the idea of restaurants and cooking," he noted. He also mentioned the staff as "a huge part" of why he decided to buy O'Driscoll's: "I couldn't ask for a better staff. I'm very fortunate to have those folks working there." Lenville plans to keep the staff and the menu basically the same. "There will be no major changes, only improvements," Lenville told Reminder Publications. He plans on adding a few more appetizers to the menu, like onion rings, quesadillas and nachos, "more pub-type fare." He'll be keeping the establishment's name as well. "It's well established," Lenville said. "If it's not broke, don't fix it." Lenville will officially become the new owner when the liquor license approval comes from the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission. He and Driscoll appeared before the Wilbraham Board of Selectmen for a hearing on the license transfer on June 23. At that meeting, Board of Selectmen Chair Patrick Brady noted that Driscoll should pay up overdue water and sewer bills to clear them from the establishment. Pamela Beal, secretary to the Board of Selectmen, said the overdue bills total $387.56. Bills are considered overdue if they are more than one year old. | ||||||
