Happy days are here again: More booze can be served in Boston and other towns
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Mayor Michelle Wu spoke with Michael and Marcia Satchel, whose Blue Mountain Jamaican Restaurant in Mattapan received one of the city's new 225 liquor licenses.
Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said she plans to introduce legislation to the City Council in the coming weeks so that Boston can become the first municipality to allow establishments to upgrade. She made the
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'A liquor license is more than just a piece of paper, it's a game changer,' said Wu. 'It can double a corner shop's revenue. It can help the family build wealth. It can turn a restaurant with an empty back room into the newest open mic stage.'
The trade-in provision is part of a broader effort to reform liquor licensing and make the permits more accessible and affordable. For more than two decades, as Boston brimmed with new restaurants, the
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And when the city doesn't have licenses to give out, restaurateurs have to buy them from another business that's closing. That has driven the cost of an unrestricted
Last year, the state created
Almost all of the licenses are restricted, which means they cannot be bought and sold and must be returned to the city when no longer needed.
So far, the Boston Licensing Board has approved 61 licenses out of the new batch, doling them out to restaurants and community organizations from Mattapan to Hyde Park. That means the city has plenty of licenses left to give out.
Allowing beer-and-wine license holders to upgrade to all-alcohol license upgrades across Boston neighborhoods also solves a political problem for
North End restaurateurs have been some of Wu's loudest critics, sparring over the city's outdoor dining rules.
Charles Krupa/Associated Press
North End restaurateurs — who have been
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Frank DePasquale, who owns multiple restaurants in the North End, including Bricco and Mare, plans to turn in his four beer-and-wine licenses for restricted all-alcohol permits.
'I've been waiting a lifetime for this,' said DePasquale. 'Everybody wants cocktails today … it's the right thing to do."
Still, it might not be the right decision for every restaurant. Some owners may be reluctant to give up their unrestricted beer-and-wine license, especially if they plan to sell their restaurant soon. A restaurant's value is often tied to that license, which can cost more than
$100,000.
'What's important is that the restaurant owner can make that decision,' said Steve Clark, president of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association, which supported the policy change.
Michlewitz, whose district encompasses both the North End and Chinatown, said the upgrade option builds on the progress made last year in lowering barriers and leveling the playing field in the restaurant industry.
'This was the next step,' he said, in providing 'another tool to give the local restaurants.'
Shirley Leung is a Business columnist. She can be reached at
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