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Date: 2/18/2022
SPRINGFIELD – Restaurants continue to operate amidst the pandemic’s lingering impacts. While expectations surrounding the industry remain influx, Chief Development Officer Timothy Sheehan views Springfield’s dining scene as a promising component in a city-wide push for economic recovery.
Pandemic Economic Recovery
Before describing the city’s viewpoint on economic development, Sheehan highlighted the importance of federal support from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. He revealed that Springfield received $123.6 million in support from the COVID-19 relief act, with those funds playing a crucial role in economic recovery.
“As that whole act was being debated and considered, the certainty that there was going to be any support for state and local government was far from certain…We need to recognize that without that funding, our ability to respond as a city would be dramatically different if we didn’t have that funding available,” said Sheehan.
The chief development officer stressed that the pandemic caused “significant loss” across the city, both in terms of personal impacts and grander economic ramifications. To curb the pandemic’s losses, Sheehan shared that the city continues to be proactive in aiding the recovery of business centers through promoting Request for Proposal (RFP) submissions for ARPA funds and the restoration of vacant commercial buildings.
While the pandemic created setbacks, it has not stopped new business enterprises. Sheehan expressed encouragement with the formation of several new business ventures throughout the pandemic, a trend that lies within the national movement.
“It is pretty phenomenal what we saw in new business formation in the city … the number of new businesses being created and the pace of that is pretty significant. We want to embrace that and ultimately nurture those businesses as they begin to grow,” said Sheehan, who shared that Springfield was named one of the best cities to start a business in by Ink Magazine in 2020.
Sheehan said the restaurant industry continues to stand as one of the city’s stabilizing enterprises. “The renewal of our liquor licenses was at an all-time high for last year. We took that as a very encouraging sign that the restaurant community was able to cope with the current environment, we’re in,” said Sheehan.
New Restaurants
Springfield welcomes several new restaurants in 2022. On Jan. 28, the city celebrated the opening of Del Rey Taqueria & Bar at 211 Worthington St. Owner Jacinto Blanco-Munoz’s restaurant, which sits next to Smith’s Billiards and Theodore’s BBQ, offers an authentic blend of Mexican dishes and drinks, according to the city’s press release.
The Connecticut brunch staple The Place 2 Be is set to debut at 1000 Hall of Fame Ave. this spring, according to founder and CEO Gina Luari. She explained that the marquee location and the brand’s local popularity served as significant draws for centering their first location outside of Connecticut in Springfield. “Customer data showed a tremendous amount of people with a 413 area code, so that really got us interested in Springfield as an expansionary prospect,” said Luari in an interview with Reminder Publishing.
A local restaurant owner is also expanding his presence in the city. After opening Dewey’s Jazz Lounge in June 2021, restaurant owner Kenny Lumpkin is preparing to open All American Bar, Grill and Patio at 459 Dwight St. In a statement from the restaurant via Facebook, All American Bar shares it will “offer an exceptional dining and sport-watching experience, delivered with a superior level of customer service.” The restaurant is expected to open this summer.
Sheehan notes Lumpkin’s story as a great success for Springfield. “Ken started last year with Dewey’s and is already onto his next property. That’s part of the nurturing of a small business that the city actively wants to participate in,” said Sheehan.
Looking forward, Sheehan maintains optimism about the restaurant industry and the city’s economic recovery as a whole. He stressed that he will continue to increase the workforce participation rate while increasing jobs throughout the city.