CHICOPEE –  Atlas Pub & Kitchen has been owned by the Herchuck family for 40 years. Passed down from his father, Bill Herchuck now runs the bar with the help of his sons. Like many other bars and restaurants across the country, the Herchucks have faced unprecedented challenges in 2020 due to COVID-19. However, thanks to The Barstool Fund by Barstool Sports, the Herchucks received a financial donation to help keep them going.

Born and raised in Springfield, Herchuck now lives in Connecticut. He was a Springfield firefighter for more than  30 years before he retired in 2016. Herchuck’s father bought Atlas Pub & Kitchen in 1980. He ran the bar until his sudden death in 1993. After that, Herchuck’s mother passed the business on to him.

On March 17, 2020, Herchuck had to close the doors to Atlas Pub & Kitchen. Due to Gov. Charlie Baker’s orders, he could not open again unless he began to serve food.

“Twenty-twenty hit and it was a whole new thing,” said Herchuck. “It’d been just a bar up until COVID. In order for us to open our doors, we had to put in a kitchen.”

On Aug. 29, 2020, Atlas Pub & Kitchen reopened with a new kitchen and a simple menu to feed customers. Herchuck said that the months of closure and a new expense left them struggling to keep Atlas Pub & Kitchen going.

Herchuck’s son, Matt, saw Barstool Sports promoting a new fundraiser for struggling small businesses on Twitter.

“I saw that they were supporting small businesses and I figured The Atlas was perfect for this,” said Matt.

Matt then wrote an email to Barstool and filmed an application video with his dad, mom and brother. It was a few days later when he heard back from Barstool. A representative asked him to answer a few more questions about Atlas Pub & Kitchen and why they needed the money.

“It kind of gave me a hint that we could be selected, but the final selection is done by Dave Portnoy. So he could choose no and we didn’t know for sure, but I was hopeful once I got the response email,” said Matt.

In the end, Atlas Pub & Kitchen was chosen to receive a donation from The Barstool Fund. Portnoy himself called Herchuck over Facetime to give him the news.

Atlas Pub & Kitchen has already received the money from The Barstool Fund and Herchuck said he plans to use it for payroll and toward kitchen expenses. According to Herchuck, he had to lay off his employees when Atlas Pub & Kitchen closed in March, but now all who wanted to return are back to work.

The Barstool Fund has also created shirts with the Atlas Pub & Kitchen logo on them. These shirts are for sale on Barstool’s website and all proceeds will go back into The Barstool Fund.

“We don’t see that money. It goes to The Barstool Fund, which is great because it’s helping support small businesses just like ours,” said Matt.

After COVID-19, Herchuck said he plans to continue serving food during the day.

“I didn’t make this investment just for COVID. It’s going to continue going on, but I don’t think it would continue into the nighttime,” he said. “It’s hit or miss on what days are busy and what days aren’t. Right now people during the day come in here to eat and then at night it’s kind of a battle. I think a lot of people are still scared of COVID and they’re just not coming out. I think we gotta get through this thing before we really know what’s gonna happen.”

Right now, Atlas Pub & Kitchen opens daily at 11 a.m. and has to close by 10 p.m. due to Baker’s orders. The kitchen serves meatball grinders, sausage grinders, quesadillas, nachos, tater tots, chili, soups and more.

In 2021, Herchuck said he is most looking forward to normalcy when COVID-19 is over.

“When the governor will open up to Phase 4, which includes bars, and then where people can come in without having to wear masks again, that’s what I’m looking forward to. No more plexiglass and I’ll get my seating back,” he said.

Those interested in learning more about the Herchucks are encouraged to visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/atlaspubandkitchen or see their Barstool Fund journey at https://www.barstoolsports.com/blog/3216045/the-barstool-fund-atlas-pub-and-kitchen.