The Federal Restaurant and Bar sold, to reopen with new concept
AGAWAM — Longtime owners of The Federal Restaurant and Bar sold the building this week to a family of Pakistani restaurateurs who plan to reopen with their own concept later this year.
"I can tell you it's a great family that's buying it," said Ralph L. Santaniello who, with Michael Presnal, opened The Federal and ran it for 23 years. "It's not going to be called the Federal. It's a little bittersweet."
The partners closed The Federal in February 2024 and put it on the market in October 2024 with an asking price of $1 million.
Santaniello and Presnal sold the 2-acre property at 135 Cooper St., Agawam, to S& K Food LLC, which has a mailing address in Palmer, for $700,000, according to documents filed Tuesday with the Hampden County Registry of Deeds.
The Federal Restaurant in Agawam was voted the Best Intimate Restaurant and was awarded the 2018 Reader Raves Award. (Frederick Gore Photo) FreelanceFreelance
The buyers have Roti Boti restaurants in Queens, New York, and in Meriden, Connecticut, said Joe Kelley, co-owner of Kelley and Kratzer Real Estate.
Kelley represented Santaniello and Presnal in the transaction. He said Roti Boti's owners plan renovations to the former Federal and hope to reopen in the late fall.
Roti Boti doesn't sell alcohol, Kelley said. Santaniello and Presnal are in the process of selling The Federal's alcohol license for use at another Agawam location, Kelley said.
They also retain the name The Federal. Santaniello said Thursday they'd at first thought of selling the concept along with the building, but no buyer emerged. And The Federal is their corporate name. There is a possibility they might make use of the name, but there are no definite plans yet.
Ralph Santaniello, co-owner of The Federal restaurant in Agawam. (Manon Mirabelli photo)
Samuel Converse built it as a home in 1862. The Greek revival mansion became the Federal Hill Club in 1936. Former owners of the Moretti family ran it as a restaurant for more than 50 years until 1996.
"I always said we'd never be there as long as the Morettis ," Santaniello said.
After 23 years, Santaniello and Presnal knew the 7,715-square-foot restaurant needed a major investment and renovation. They preferred to focus on other restaurants: Posto by The Federal and Lola's, a Mexican restaurant, both in the Longmeadow Shops, and Vinted Wine Bar & Kitchen in West Hartford, Connecticut.
Stories by Jim Kinney
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