AGAWAM — For 40 years, Partners Restaurant & Catering has been serving residents and visitors to Western Massachusetts breakfast and lunch seven days a week at 485 Springfield St.
Owner Mark Tansey reminisced with Reminder Publishing about being in business for that long.
“It doesn’t’ feel like it’s been 40 years,” he stated, “Forty years is a long time to spend doing anything, but I wouldn’t trade these 40 years for anything. I have learned that a restaurant is so much more than a business. It’s a community. It has been extremely rewarding. I’m just so happy to be able to work at something I truly love.”
Monday through Friday, Partners serves breakfast all day and lunch. Saturdays and Sundays, they serve breakfast only. The business also features a cocktail menu for bloody marys, apple cider mimosas and “adult” chocolate milk.
Partners is open Monday to Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Along with the restaurant, Partners has a busy catering business. They have prepared and served food to an intimate gathering of family and friends as well as for parties of 400-plus people.
They can cater in your home, at Partners or any other location you may desire. Partners is also the preferred caterer at Southampton Country Club.
Tansey explained that something that amazes him is that he has had nearly every member of his family work at either Partners or at catering.
“Maybe I had my sister dress up as an Easter bunny waving to cars passing by or my brother on his back repairing the dishwasher. They sometimes didn’t have a choice. Also, many of our employees working today are third generation. I can hardly believe that,” Tansey joked.
Tansey said the idea of pursuing a career in the food industry began when he was around 15 years old. His mom passed and he was tasked with helping prepare family meals for his sisters and dad.
Growing up in a large family, he fondly remembers that his family had always enjoyed “snack” Sundays, where they enjoyed “bizarre” treats like peanut and bologna on a Ritz cracker.
When graduating from high school, Tansey said he wanted to attend college, so his brother suggested culinary school.
He worked at many area restaurants, including Monte Carlo, Springfield Country Club and Hillbrook House during high school and through his college years.
Upon graduation, Tansey took a job at the Quality Inn & Conference Center in Chicopee, where he was a chef, beverage manager and assistant hotel manager.
Once the restaurant in Feeding Hills that is now Partners became available, Tansey borrowed the money to purchase and stated, “here we are 40 years later.”
Tansey said he always felt that if he was going to work the long hours that came with working at a restaurant so he realized he might as well work for himself.
Tansey also recently opened an event space next to Partners Restaurant that his daughter presently works alongside him and will eventually take over.
The restaurant business can be tough. It includes late nights, early mornings and long weekends, but Tansey explained that he enjoys the camaraderie between himself, his staff and customers.
“It’s my favorite part,” Tansey stated. “I love to feed people, and I believe that a good meal can bring folks together in a way nothing else could. My customers, my employees, my vendors. So many have become family and/or friends. I wouldn’t be here after forty years without them. I have always enjoyed coming up with new ideas and recipes to try out on our customers.”
He also noted that working all these years and building his business day after day could not have happened without a sense of humor.
“We try to laugh every day whether it’s dealing with a cranky customer or just telling a joke, 70 times, it helps get through the day,” Tansey stated.
Tansey concluded with a message to all his customers and family, saying, “I can be the best chef, the best restaurant owner around, but I could not have succeeded without my family or my community. It’s about the people that keep coming through the door and trust us to give them a great experience every time. I have gratitude for each and every one.”
