CHICOPEE, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - A local landmark in Chicopee is reaching a major milestone this weekend. The Dugout Cafe is celebrating 50 years of serving up cold drinks, hot pizza, and witnessing the Red Sox win four world series titles.

At the corner intersection of Grattan and Meadow Streets in Chicopee sits a shop that’s been a constant in the Crossroads of New England since 1976. For the Benoit family, the Dugout Cafe isn’t just a business — it’s home. Jordan Benoit, the general manager, said he’s been here since he was a baby, “I was down here every day before school as a kid. I went to school right up the hill, St. Joan. I have very good memories here with my grandparents, my grandfather, you know, my dad. It’s a monumental blessing to be able to work with my old man”

Jordan’s father started here when he was just 11 years old. Now, fifty years later, the father-son duo is still running the show. Through the Celtics’ championship run in the 80’s – to the Patriot’s run in the 2010’s, these walls have seen it all — but for the regulars, it’s the feeling inside that keeps them coming back, “it’s a great place to come down. I always call it the Chicopee version of Cheers,” said Scott Hayden, one of the frequent customers of The Dugout, “It’s always comfortable, you always feel like you’re family, you’re part of something.”

To say thank you to the community that’s supported them through five decades, and a pandemic, the dugout is throwing a massive party this Saturday starting at 2:00 p.m.

“If everything goes right, the Mayor of Chicopee, Mr. John Vieau, should be here. We’ll be doing raffles, free pizza all day. We have Midlife Crisis, a local band playing, It’s not going to be any better than that,” Benoit said.

A celebration of history, family, and a community that always has a seat waiting for you.

Copyright 2026 Western Mass News (WGGB/WSHM). All rights reserved.