Member Profile: Mac’s Catering and Restaurant
The Springfield Chamber recently sat down with Owner Patrick McCallum to learn more about Mac’s Custom Catering and Mac’s Restaurant, longtime staples of the local hospitality scene located in Eugene’s historic Veteran’s Memorial Building. With more than two decades of experience serving the community, McCallum shares insights into the business’s roots, its dedication to custom service, and the passion that fuels its ongoing success.
Tell us a little about Mac’s Custom Catering and Restaurant
Mac’s Custom Catering and Mac’s Restaurant are located in the Veteran’s memorial building on Willamette St. in Eugene. Mac’s Catering provides catering service for all types of events– from simple food tray deliveries to full-blown, sit down events– for any group size. The majority of catering opportunities in our community are buffets for 35 to 150 guests. However, Mac’s Catering is one of the few in our area that specializes in serving very large groups in the 300 to 900 guest range.
Mac’s Restaurant is open Tuesday through Saturday and offers delicious food, a full bar with cocktails, mocktails, and local craft beer, and live music along with other entertainment. Mac’s has just introduced a brand new gastro-pub style menu that guests are raving about!
Our goal is to continue to provide an inviting, safe venue for our community to enjoy delicious food and entertainment like we have been for the past 24 years.
How did you get started in your industry?
I started Mac’s at the Vet’s club in 2002 with my brother, chef Billy McCallum. Beginning as a bus boy at a local steak house in 1974, I have been in the hospitality industry my entire life. I cut my teeth in the industry from 1977 to 1997 in my family’s fine dining restaurant called The Treehouse. We introduced dinner theatre to the market with our Elegant Evening dinner series, which became wildly popular at that time. That was when my passion for live performances really spiked. I continued to feed that passion when I opened the Wild Duck Brewery and Restaurant with a couple partners in 1996. We had a music hall that hosted a variety of local, regional, and national artists. When we opened Mac’s in the Vet’s building, it was natural to continue to offer live entertainment, and we are truly blessed to live in a community that is home to so many talented musicians!
What services do you offer, and what makes Mac’s unique?
What makes Mac’s Restaurant unique is that we are located in a historic building that was built by veterans in 1939 and is still home to that group to this day. However, Mac’s is open to the general public just like any other restaurant; you do not need to be a member or have any military affiliation whatsoever! The only criteria is to be hungry, thirsty, and want to listen or dance to great live music– you’re invited to kick back and enjoy yourself.
What makes Mac’s Custom Catering unique is our experience in the industry, and our ability to execute your vision for any event and perform at a level to carry out that vision flawlessly. Because of our experience and expertise, you can relax and enjoy your event with the knowledge that your guests are in very good hands, particularly for very large groups. And, Mac’s provides “Custom” catering. If you can imagine it, Mac’s can make it happen, from very simple to extremely upscale and elaborate. See our themed menus and other offerings on our website macseugenecatering.com.
What do you like most about your work?
To be a business owner in our community for the past 48 years has been extremely gratifying. The countless relationships with a lot of great people and ability to serve makes me very happy to be a part of such a great community.
On the restaurant side, there is nothing more satisfying than watching folks enjoy themselves in my establishment. Providing a venue for folks to take a break from whatever may be going on in their lives for a few minutes of pleasure and relaxation is truly a blessing. On the catering side… where do I start? We get to throw parties for people! We have the ability to take the burden of feeding and entertaining completely off our clients’ shoulders, and probably the most gratifying is to play a role during special occasions in peoples’ lives.
We get to help folks raise money for their organizations or institutions. We provide some contract business for some local private schools because they asked for our help. We have participated in Chef’s Night Out, a marvelous fundraiser for Food For Lane County, with every restaurant I have owned every year since its inception. We have donated countless gift certificates to our restaurants and numerous catering packages for fundraisers over the years. And for the past 24 years, we have supported local artists with a venue for them to perform.
I am most grateful for the amazing team of professionals that continue to make Mac’s a success. Our executive chef, Rob Sigmund, has been perfecting his art for 14 years; my lead catering manager, Marc Nichols, has been doing exceptional work for my company for 13 years. The newest member of our team, Director of Operations Ryan Wilde, is bringing a tremendous amount of experience and energy to our organization. We are extremely proud to be a part of the Springfield/Eugene business community!
Any advice for others?
Well, the running joke is: Do you know how to make a million dollars in the restaurant industry? Start with 2 million! All joking aside, it’s a tough industry. However, my advice is to find something you have a passion for, and you’ll never work a day in your life.
Anything else you’d like to share?
We take great pride in working with our clients. We will often modify or suggest alternatives for our clients if our bids come in higher then their targeted budget. If a potential client can provide our company with a reasonable budget, we can likely create a menu and services that will fit that budget. That is custom catering!
