Main Street

The love of food connects people. It can bring a sense of home and community for friends, families, neighbors and colleagues to gather around and enjoy a great meal. Agawam restaurant 141 Main Street combines an inviting, casual atmosphere with a whole lot of comfort food.

O wners Rick and Joanne Locke welcome customers to their home of family recipes, home-cooked meals, hot panini sandwiches, burgers and salads. 141 Main has three different dining rooms, one which they call the living room with a fireplace, which is also perfect for small showers, birthday parties or any event and an outdoor patio. The restaurant also hosts many different types of events. They do trivia, a sip and game night and book club once a month.

Rick and Joanne first opened in 2006 as Main Street Deli in a postage stamp location in the back of Utopia Convenience Store. There they predominantly sold takeout sandwiches and salads. The business grew fast and within two years the duo started looking for another location to call their own.

One Friday night in June, Joanne drove past 141 Main Street, a home that the community knew well and had embraced through the years. It was vacant without a for sale sign for some time. Yet that night she saw a couple of cars and people outside. She drove past only to turn around. She recalled memories of her parents talking about the space being built in 1863 as a carriage house, to later becoming the residence of Judge Stapleton, one of two circuit judges in Western Massachusetts, followed by a piano shop and finally a doctor’s office.

To Joanne’s surprise, she met with the doctor who owned the property and upon inquiry. She and Rick were given a tour. She recalled the space was a maze of small examination rooms, waiting rooms, offices, but Joanne said her vision became very clear.

A s she and Rick both came from large families, their house was often the center of entertainment. Joanne said, “I wanted to have our customers feel like they were walking into our own home and served food that had been family recipes through the years, like my Auntie Alma’s and my mom’s delicious meat sauce, my cousin Linda’s mac and cheese or apple crisp, and my sister Elaine’s carrot cake.” She continued, “A place where friends and family could gather and have a delicious signature sandwich, salad or burger or a homemade comfort food like shepherd’s pie for lunch or dinner.”

Joanne told Go Local it was quite a few years at their current location before her and Rick finally decided to change their name from Main Street Deli to 141 Main Street. Many have asked why, she said, the reason being they were not just a takeout deli anymore. They were a restaurant with an expanded menu of homemade hot entrees, open for seating lunch and dinner in a choice of three different unique seating areas, a beautiful outdoor patio, a large catering menu on top of their regular menu used for in-house parties and venues of choice.

“ We had grown, and we wanted our name to reflect that,” Joanne explained. “We started and built the restaurant from 2008 through 2009, right in the middle of the economic crisis. It was a real challenge to get it finished and up and running.” She went on to say, “For nine months the community followed our progress and wrapped their arms around us upon opening. We will forever be grateful to our customers then and now.”

A gawam resident Debbie Sorcinelli recalls her first visual impression of 141 Main as “wow.”

“The hardwood floors, tasteful decor, beautiful landscaping, porch, wood tables and chairs, easy parking, the patio and the history were all very impressive, but ultimately it comes down to the food which is comforting and delicious,” Sorcinelli explained. Her personal go-to is the seasonal strawberry salad with grilled chicken and homemade balsamic dressing. Sorcinelli’s next choice is a Caprese avocado grilled cheese on gluten free toast with a side of chickpea salad and the apple crisp made with real Granny Smith apples. “141 Main is a destination spot here in Agawam,” Sorcinelli added. “It is the casual lunch and dinner spot I always recommend to friends, family and business associates.”

Easthampton resident/business consultant Anita Eliason has been going to 141 Main for years with friends and family. She has also attended many board meetings and special events there. Eliason met Joanne over 10 years ago at a Women Business Owners Alliance meeting and remain friends to this day. Her favorite dishes are the lemon pepper wings, Reuben summer salad and the apple crisp which she said is “out of this world.” She attends many events large and small that use 141 Main as their caterer and reflected “the food is always delicious.” In addition, Elaison explained she always makes a point of visiting the Massachusetts building at the Big E where 141 Main has a food booth featuring the Gobbler sandwich.

“I thought to myself, that’s the way to run a restaurant,” Eliason said. “Rick, Joanne and their staff are courteous and attentive all the time. The experience of going there is always the same, which keeps us going back.”

S he continued, “The restaurant is a labor of love from the beautifully restored building to the delicious, homemade food. It’s got the comfort and warmth of home with great food and service.”

Joanne said, “There’s been a lot of trials in these last 14 years on top of the 2008 crisis, like the Memorial Bridge constructions for three-plus years, COVID, followed by food costs surging and supply issues. We’ve sadly seen a lot of restaurants around us go under. So, what we’re most proud of is that our hard work and relationship with the community has gotten us through. We’ve grown in sales and strength through it all. When people come in, they’re happy and want to be here. That makes us happy.”

141 Main’s summer outside dinner concert series starts June 17 with Ray of Elvis followed by Joe Saimeri, singing Tom Jones and many other old favorites July 15, with more to come. Reservations are required. In the coming months, Rick and Joanne look forward to serving breakfast.

141 MAIN STREET RESTAURANT IS LOCATED AT 141 MAIN STREET IN AGAWAM, MA OPEN MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY FROM 9AM - 7PM, THURSDAY AND FRIDAYS FROM 9AM - 8PM, SATURDAYS FROM 11AM - 7PM AND SUNDAYS FROM 11AM - 3PM VISIT THEIR WEBSITE AT WWW.MAINSTREET-DELI.COM OR CALL 413-821-9881

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