Springfield woman to open new eatery at McKinley's

Sheri Keefe has a dream and it’s coming true. Keefe, the manager of the Springfield Royal Diner, is opening her own place in the former McKinley’s restaurant space in downtown Springfield.

http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20101018/NEWS02/710189874

Published October 18, 2010 in the Rutland Herald

Springfield woman to open new eatery at McKinley's

By Susan Smallheer
Staff Writer

SPRINGFIELD — Sheri Keefe has a dream and it’s coming true.

Keefe, the manager of the Springfield Royal Diner, is opening her own place in the former McKinley’s restaurant space in downtown Springfield.

The Hole in the Hill Bar and Grille is expected to open in early November, said Keefe Saturday during an interview.

“I’ve had this passion and I’m going to make sure it works,” said Keefe, 47.

Keefe, who has worked at Springfield restaurants and bars for the past 10 years, said as soon as she heard McKinley’s had closed, she called up owner B.J. Crowley about renting the space.

Crowley had already rented the upstairs restaurant Penelope’s, a local landmark since the 1970s, to be used as office space, Keefe said, so she settled for McKinley’s, the underground portion of the two-part restaurant.

“That’s how we got the name, it’s a hole at the bottom of the hill,” she said, referring to Summer Street Hill. “I’m going to run it with my kids.”

Keefe said her son John Keefe Jr., 26, and her daughter Robin Keefe, 23, would be working with her at The Hole in the Hill. Both currently work with her at the Springfield Royal Diner, her son as a chef and her daughter as a waitress and bartender.

Keefe said she planned on remaining as the manager at the busy River Street diner, and that the owner, Silvestre Gallegos, was supportive of her move.

Gallegos is even going to help out at Hole in the Hill as it gets started, since the diner is switching to winter hours and closing at 5 p.m. It currently is open until 8:30 p.m.

Keefe said the new bar and grille would open at 4 p.m., and stay open as demand dictates. She said she planned on serving “bar food,” with an emphasis on high quality, good portions and good service.

Keefe said she moved to Springfield 20 years ago when her husband got a job with UPS, and that she loved her adopted hometown, where her children grew up.

She was a bartender at the former Black Bear Pub, at the old Howard Johnson’s Restaurant in Springfield, and then moved to the diner when it opened.

She left Springfield for two years when her husband’s job took them to Alabama, but she’s been back in Springfield since 2008.

“B.J. has done quite a lot of work to McKinley’s,” she said, noting that all the water damage from the 2008 fire that gutted the neighboring Ellis Block had been fixed.

Keefe said she is looking forward to the reopening of the Springfield Movie Theater, which is part of the rebuilding of the Ellis Block, which is already under way. The theater will reopen in the summer of 2011, and Keefe said her business and the theater will be good for each other.

One thing that Keefe is concerned about in her new location is the lack of handicapped access.

The building and restaurant are grandfathered, she said, but she said she has a brother in a wheelchair and she’s sensitive to access issues.

“It looks like an elevator is the only solution,” she said, noting the stairs underground would be impossible for anyone in a wheelchair.

One Penelope’s landmark that did survive is the handmade wine rack that was in back of the bar. Crowley has moved the wine rack downstairs to Hole in the Hill, pleasing Keefe.

Despite the fact that Penelope’s, most recently called just McKinley’s closed, Keefe said there is strong demand for a bar, noting the only other bar in town is K.J.’s in North Springfield.

“People are looking for something,” she said, noting her loyal customers at the diner have assured her her dream will work.

She will be installing six big screen televisions for the sports nuts. “I love football,” said Keefe. Her son and daughter are musicians, and music will play a big role at the bar, she said.

As for food, she and her son are already working on the menu, which will feature homemade food from soups, appetizers, salsas and burgers.

“I’ve lived here in Springfield for 20 years and I love this town and it’s going to be a nice little family business,” she said.