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Date: 4/27/2021
WEST SPRINGFIELD – After five years of business, Partners at the Cup in West Springfield announced the permanent closing due to the economic impact of COVID-19.
“Like many other businesses it was a shock that we just had to close suddenly. Then with some of the rules and restrictions we realized that when we could get customers back it still wouldn’t generate enough revenue for us to stay in business,” Owner Mark Tansey said.
They received rental assistance from PPL loans for a few months along with some donations from customers but ultimately, they decided to devote everything to their Feeding Hills Partners Restaurant & Catering that has been open since 1984.
They were also thinking about selling the property, but with everything being uncertain during these times, they didn’t think anyone would want to take the chance.
“We loved West Springfield and wanted to stay there but it just wasn’t viable for us,” Tansey said.
Both the West Springfield and Feeding Hills locations closed in March 2020, but Tansey decided to keep takeout as an option for their Feeding Hills location, which he stated helped immensely.
According to www.pnas.org, 41.3 percent of businesses reported that they were temporarily closed because of COVID-19. A far smaller number – 1.8 percent – reported that they were permanently closed because of the pandemic. By contrast, only 1.3 percent reported that they were temporarily closed for other reasons; 55.5 percent reported that they were still operational.
Tansey also stated how much he appreciates all the community support during these times.
Right before the pandemic started, Tansey ordered T-shirts for the staff at Partners at the Cup. Tansey is now selling the shirts for $10 each. Buyers will receive the T-shirt and a $5 gift certificate to the Partners restaurant and the other $5 goes directly to the open pantry Parish Cupboard in West Springfield.
If you would like to purchase a T-shirt, you can visit the Feeding Hills Partners Restaurant during business hours.
Partners Restaurant & Catering is open for takeout, dine-in and outdoor dining. They will be putting a tent outside of the restaurant for Mother’s Day that seats 32-45 customers and welcome all to come by and enjoy.