Jimmy's Pub in Mansfield: A Mainstay for More Than 30 Years

George Pantos has owned the Mansfield mainstay Jimmy’s Pub for more than 30 years, and has made more than just a dent on the community.

“It was a small town back then and there wasn’t very much around,” he said. “We opened the door and we’re straight out for 33 years.”

Pantos said that he’s seen Mansfield grow since then along with his restaurant, and there is, like many things, good and bad.

“I do feel bad to loose the small town stuff, like where you knew everybody,” he said. “But you do have the new influx from Boston and Worcester, and that’s new and exciting also. There are pros and cons to both venues. There’s been ups and downs in downtown Mansfield. It seems like were going to be seeing an up time.”

Pantos said he started working in the pizza house his father had opened for two years, and that helped him get his start when he opened Jimmy’s, which was originally pizza shop. 

The menu has about 30 entrees, 20 appetizers, salads and sandwiches. He said he’s only had seven major menu changes.

He added, with a laugh, that he’s actually changing the menu soon. Pantos said his is a collaborative process he works on with Jean Faulkner, his head chef of 15 years.

“We sit down and we talk,” he said. “We’re going over a menu and I’m sitting down on my end and we get things together.”

He said he has many other people to bounce ideas off of as well.

“My wife and kids have joined forces in here for the last six years,” he said. “We take ideas from everybody.”

Jimmy’s Pub also helps to raise funds for many Mansfield sports programs, but is probably known best for providing the MVP trophy for the yearly and historical Thanksgiving Game against Foxborough.

“We do football fundraisers twice a year and we give them a percentage of what they bring in,” he said

Pantos added that he does fundraisers for Mansfield wrestling, hockey and basketball teams.

“I’ve been waiting for maybe the baseball team to come in here,” he said. “When it comes to the schools in Mansfield, when people ask, we pretty much give whatever they need. I like the idea of the fundraisers because it gets them to work for something they believe in.”