West Medford's High Street Keeps Handing Off the Keys. This Fall, It Happened Twice.

"We couldn't be more excited to pass the lantern to two longtime Medford residents who will carry on the spirit and legacy of this special place." That is how the owners of Paul Revere Restaurant put it in September, as reported by Patch. Less than three weeks later, at 454 High St., Snappy Pattys served its last meal, and Rory O'Connor's Irish Pub was already lined up for the space.

The handoff is the pattern behind these two stories. Over the past two years, the short run of High Street near the West Medford commuter rail station has kept its storefronts filled by passing them from one owner to the next. Most of the time the next owner comes from Medford. This fall two handoffs got underway in a single month, and neither is finished yet.

Four Addresses, Two Years

On the block, these are the changes from the past two years, in order:

The two fall changes are at 447 and 454, just a few street numbers apart. Both businesses were long established, both announced an ending, and in both cases a successor was already in view when the news broke.

What 447 High St. Is Keeping

Paul Revere Restaurant has been a fixture in West Medford for decades. The Medford Historical Society and Museum dates it to the 1930s, according to Patch. Joseph Schanda Jr. and Joseph Schanda Sr. owned it for more than 25 years. They had announced it would close for good on Sunday, Aug. 30.

On Sept. 10 the restaurant reversed course. "We're thrilled to announce Paul Revere Restaurant will continue under new ownership," it said. MassLive and Patch both describe the new owners as two longtime Medford residents. Boston Restaurant Talk passed along the same announcement but described a single longtime resident. The new owners have not been named publicly, and the restaurant told customers to stay tuned for updates.

The outgoing owners' "pass the lantern" line fits the restaurant's name. It also describes the transfer itself. The business is staying at the same address under the same name, and people from the same city are taking it over.

What 454 High St. Is Becoming

Snappy Pattys was itself a successor. It opened in August 2014 in a space previously occupied by Pompei and Company Stained Glass. Restaurateur Adam Gazzola and chef Nicholas "Nick" Dowling started it. Dowling had come from Boston kitchens including Citizen Public House and Oyster Bar, Franklin Cafe and Franklin Southie, and he later became executive chef at The Lantern inside the Great American Beer Hall in Medford.

The name came from mini patty melt sliders on brioche, in classic, jalapeño, California and Texan versions. Over the years the restaurant grew in steps. It opened with 36 seats. Plans for a patio of roughly 50 seats followed in 2015. A later expansion into the neighboring space, previously occupied by a women's gym, roughly doubled the indoor footprint and brought capacity to 82 seats, with a bar and a separate dining room.

In the owners' statement, as reported by Patch, they described "14 incredible years of serving this community" and signed off "With all our love and gratitude, Snappy Pattys." The last service was Saturday, Sept. 26.

Rory O'Connor's Irish Pub is slated to take over 454 High St. As of Patch's Oct. 2 report, no opening date or other details had been announced. In a Sept. 30 story, Hoodline reported a September Craigslist posting seeking a head chef for what it called a brand-new West Medford opening, an early sign of hiring.

So the address has had three lives. A stained-glass shop gave way to a scratch-kitchen restaurant that grew into the next storefront, and that space is now going to a pub. Each time, the new business arrived before the old space could sit empty for long.

The Handoff That Fell Through

The block also shows what happens when the next owner does not show up.

Lola's Coffee and More opened in spring 2023 at 17 Playstead Road, near the West Medford MBTA commuter rail station. It served coffee alongside Filipino-inspired pastries and cookies. The owners had arranged for someone to take over the business. As Patch reported, they said the incoming owner decided not to go forward after the paperwork was done. Lola's closed after service on Sunday, April 5, 2026.

"Regrettably, after completing the necessary paperwork, the individual set to assume control of Lola's Coffee and More informed us that they would not be proceeding, forcing our hand and leading to this sudden closure."

Len's Coffee, the coffee importing and roasting business that co-owner Len Brault launched in 2005, is still running at its brick-and-mortar location at 9 Jerome St. and online.

Lola's had the same setup as Paul Revere: owners ready to step back and a successor lined up. What decided the outcome was whether the successor followed through. At 447 and 454 this fall, the successors were already in place when the news became public.

Where the Successors Come From

The newest openings on the block share a thread. Twisted Tree Cafe began in Lincoln in 2019 and opened a second location at the deCordova Sculpture Museum two years later. Its 421 High St. cafe, opened in late November 2025, is the first time the business has expanded beyond its original town. Patch reported that director of operations Ash McLaughlin called Medford an easy choice for co-owner C.J. Doherty, who is from Medford.

Moon & Back Bookstore, owned by Michelle Smith, opened at 458 High St. in early 2025.

Together with the Paul Revere successors, that makes three of the block's recent arrivals with owners or co-owners described as being from Medford. The new businesses on High Street tend to come from people with ties to the city.

What Is Still Unannounced

As of mid-October, these are the open questions on the two addresses in transition:

• Who owns Paul Revere Restaurant now. The successors have not been named, and the restaurant has not announced any changes to its menu or hours.
• When Rory O'Connor's opens. No date has been announced for 454 High St.
• Who is behind the pub. Coverage so far has not named the operators or said whether they run another location.

Medford's License Commission meets monthly on the third Wednesday, except in July and August, and posts its agendas and minutes online. That is the public record to watch for news on a new restaurant or pub at a High Street address.

For a wider view of how Medford's dining calendar has shifted, our summer piece on the Medford Square loop covers the other end of the city, and our Medford neighborhood page collects the rest.

Passing a business or a building to the next owner is the kind of work The McLaren Team does every day, from timing a sale to finding the right successor for a property. If you own on or near High Street and are thinking about your own next chapter, Start Your Move with a conversation about how a West Medford handoff can go smoothly.