Page 14 - BusinessWest January 20, 2025

Congratulations on being named BusinessWest’s
Top Entrepreneurs for 2024!
Partners of Hot Table, from left, brothers Chris and John DeVoie
You’ve given people across the region a “Hot Table” where they feel welcome and can enjoy a delicious lunch. We are proud to work with you!
~ Your friends at New Valley Bank
banknewvalley.com (413) 739-BANK
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Chris (left) and John DeVoie at the company’s Chicopee location, one of many new stores to open over the past several years.
Photo by Bob Zemba, Simple Truth Imaging
was a scary time — we had an 80% drop in revenue from one week to the next,” John said, recalling the early days of the pandemic. “And that was before anyone was talking about PPP or a bailout. We were thinking ... do we have a company?”
As for size ... well, with interest rates high and construction costs still soar- ing, continued expansion of Hot Table has become a difficult proposition. But the brothers DeVoie continue to look for opportunities and say there are likely to be some, especially with the attrition rate with restaurants in today’s changing, ultra- competitive market, and less sticker shock when it
comes to real-estate prices in general.
You’ve Developed a Recipe for Success!
Congratulations to John and Chris DeVoie, BusinessWest’s Top Entrepreneurs for 2025
The Owners and Managers of Tower Square
1500 Main Street Springfield MA, 01115 Phone: (413) 733-2171 visittowersquare.com
Beyond expansion, the two like to focus on other aspects of this growing venture, from brand building to getting involved in the many communities where they now have a presence, to the opportunities, and mentor- ing, they provide to young people.
“We have a lot of success stories ... people starting with pressing paninis and advancing to general man- ager and even regional manager,” Chris said. “Eight of our general managers are homegrown, and we’re very proud of that.”
There is much to be proud of with this growing business — especially the entrepreneurial spirit that launched it and has taken it to the next level.
Chain of Events
“We have a lot of success stories ... people starting with pressing paninis and advancing to general manager and even regional manager.”
By now, most people in this region know at least some elements of the Hot Table story, such as its origins in the Breckwood Shoppes, just a few doors down from Sophia’s Pizza, where both John and Chris worked as delivery drivers while attending Western New England University just across the street.
“That’s how we got our start in the restaurant business,” said John with a laugh, noting that the experience did provide some valuable insight into the industry.
Many folks have also heard how the two, while both working in corporate sales for day jobs, blueprinted their venture in 2007 with an initial focus on coffee and an eventual shift to a design-your-own-panini format after John’s sister and broth- er-in-law saw such a setup on a cruise ship.
Or how they were turned down for financing by a slew of area lenders before finally securing a loan from Nuvo Bank, a startup in its own right.
Or how they made Tower Square their second location after essentially getting an offer they couldn’t refuse from then-owner MassMutual, and have been there ever since.
14 JANUARY 20, 2025
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