To
be an icon is rare. To have the sort of lasting success that crosses
over several generations is something that most strive for but will
likely never see. In the case of the Riverway Restaurant in South
Yarmouth, Massachusetts it spent more than three-quarters of a
century crafting great food and great memories for countless patrons.
Although it might be gone now the building that housed the former
Cape Cod giant has a new lease on life. This lease might possibly be
serving an ever greater good than the Riverway itself did.
The
story of Cape Cod’s iconic Riverway Restaurant began in the years
leading up to World War II. In 1933 property was purchased by Edith
Angell for the purpose of being a shop and restaurant. Legend has it
that Angell decided to get into the restaurant industry when
Prohibition’s repeal caused her illegal bootlegging business to
end.
 |
| Edith Angell, the original owner of The Riverway(GenieQueen) |
For
several years the restaurant, located at the ‘four corners’ area
in South Yarmouth at present-day 1338 Route 28, was known as Spa
Lunch. It was a simple and nondescript 35-seat establishment selling
light fare, wine, and beer. That all changed when in 1940 Angell
desired to expand. She wished to expand the building into a larger
restaurant complete with a full liquor license.
Three
times she applied for said license and was rejected by the town. On
the fourth try, she changed the name of her establishment from Spa
Lunch to Riverway Restaurant. Her appeal was yet again rejected, but
the new name stuck. Finally, in May 1941 the full license was granted,
clearing a major hurdle for Edith Angell.
Known
in local newspapers as the Riverway Restaurant, Cafe, or
Lobster House, Angell’s new restaurant was a success. However,
running a successful restaurant is a lot of work. The Riverway closed
in the fall of 1943 and when it reopened things would be completely
changed.
As
she approached her 50th birthday in 1944 Angell decided to
sell the relatively new restaurant after only a handful of years. It
has to be said that although the Riverway was only a few years old
Edith had been running her own business for a decade by that time.
The
new owner of the Riverway, Michael Pazakis who purchased it with help
from his brother James who ran the Mayflower Restaurant, reopened the
business in June 1945. From that point on the Pazakis family was
synonymous with the Riverway. Michael and his wife Mary continued the
success begun by Angell and built upon it.
Throughout
the rest of the 1940s and 1950s, the Riverway began to establish
itself as a premiere dining location on Cape Cod. Not only was it
popular for traditional dining, it became increasingly popular for
meetings and special gatherings thanks to The Captain’s Room and
Chart Room. Seemingly endless streams of local organizations met at
the Riverway to the point that the restaurant was being mentioned in
newspapers for that fact on a nearly weekly basis. Celebrities like
Ted Williams, Tip O’Neill, Rudy Vallee, Muhammad Ali, and John F.
Kennedy paid visits to the South Yarmouth eatery on more than one
occasion.
 |
| The Riverway Lobster House as it appeared in the 1950s |
The
Pazakis family crafted an atmosphere of casual elegance at the
Riverway. Naturally, the menu was loaded with fresh local seafood as
well as steak, prime rib, chicken parm, and the famed Wednesday
stuffed turkey dinners. For those approaching it was hard to miss the
building thanks to its bright white exterior and prominent neon sign
adorning the roof.
Another
huge attraction nearly from the get-go was their salad, more
specifically the special house-made dressing. Brought aboard by
Michael when the Pazakis family became owners, the creamy garlic
dressing has a history as long and storied as the restaurant itself.
It was purportedly based off of a recipe given to Michael by a local
fisherman. So beloved is the Riverway Cape Cod Dressing that it is
still for sale to this day including its own website run by the
Pazakis family.
With
the popularity of the Riverway thought naturally turned to expansion.
Smaller renovations happened in 1955 and 1956. A major one was
undertaken in 1965 as the restaurant eventually swelled to 391 seats
by the turn of the 21st century. It was known nationwide, and recommended by such travel magazines as Duncan Hines and Mobil Travel
Guide. Word of mouth was so strong that the Riverway did not run any
advertising until the 1980s, roughly forty years after the Pazakis
family took over.
Michael
Pazakis suffered a massive heart attack in 1962 leaving his 19-year-old son Rosetto to take a major role in the business. The entire
family from parents to children to grandchildren all plied their
trade inside the walls of the Riverway to varying degrees over the
decades. It was a family affair from Day One for the Pazakis family.
By
the time original owner Edith Angell passed away on April 3, 1979, at
the age of eighty-five the Riverway was a Cape Cod icon. What had
begun as a small restaurant known as Spa Lunch had grown and
blossomed into a nearly 400-seat juggernaut. Michael Pazakis passed
away in 1978 at the age of seventy-one. Rosetto continued running the
restaurant with the rest of the family.
 |
| A view of The Riverway in 2019(Google Maps). |
The
1980s led to the 1990s and the end of the 20th century.
The years of success came with a price, that being long hours of hard
work. It came to a head in 2003 when Rosetto, then sixty years old,
along with his wife Barbara decided it was time to sell the Riverway.
The venerable Cape Cod institution was sold for $680,000 to David and
Ann Carboneau, the former owners of Carbo’s restaurant at Deer
Crossing in Mashpee. After nearly sixty years the Pazakis family was
no longer a part of the Riverway.
 |
| The Riverway website header from 2010(Archive.org) |
Though
there were talks of a potential change the Carboneaus kept the
Riverway intact. It kept going strong through the rest of the 2000s.
A subsequent sale in 2009 did not slow down the restaurant’s
business. It seemed as though nothing could stop the Riverway from
remaining one of the true legends of Cape Cod establishments. Sadly
something unforeseen was on the horizon.
The
outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 spelled doom for many
businesses worldwide. Cape Cod saw its share of losses. The Riverway
attempted to roll with the punches for several months. However, in
November 2020 it was decided to close down with the hope of reopening
early in 2021. That never came to pass. The Riverway closed its doors
for the final time after more than seventy-five years of feeding Cape
Cod locals and visitors.
Although
the restaurant itself closed the building it occupied still stood. It
did not take long before some new occupants came along. A nonprofit
organization, Family Table Collaborative, began in March 2020 at the
dawn of Covid. Founded by Jeni Wheeler and Harry Henry is to feed
those in need. According to their website, they have served more than
94,000 meals since the beginning with eyes on tripling their output by
2024.
 |
| Visit FamilyTableCollaborative.org |
Family
Table Collaborative is run by volunteers, including established and
talented chefs. Their meals are available for anyone to purchase and
donations are welcome as they will help with the mortgage of the
property now known as The Commons at Riverway. The property also
includes Woolfie’s Bakery.
For
more than seventy-five years the Riverway Lobster House was a Cape
Cod destination. It served untold numbers of meals to untold numbers
of people. Begun as a small restaurant by Edith Angell and turned
into an institution by the Pazakis family the Riverway was as much a
part of Cape Cod as the beach. Its days as an iconic restaurant might
be over but the former Riverway building is still going strong
feeding those in need to this day thanks to Family Table
Collaborative.
-------------------------------------------------------
Previous Blog Posts:
Helen Keller and Cape Cod
Cape Cod Railroad History 1846-1873
