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Owner of Codman Square restaurant admits he did a bad, bad thing in bid to get his license back

Ed. note: The amount of Graham's bounced license check was $2,219, not $134. The amount has been updated in the post; apologies for anybody misled by the incorrect figure.

Christopher Graham says he found himself in pretty dire straits the weekend of Jan. 7. The day before, a police detective had seized the food-serving license of his Lorenez Island Kuisine because the check he used to pay for its renewal had bounced. And as the detective, Robert Mulvey warned him, without the license, he had to shut immediately.

With no money to pay for the license, Graham told the Boston Licensing Board today, he panicked and held an illegal after-hours party that began early on Jan. 8 and ended when police, responding to the latest noise complaint about the 657 Washington St. restaurant, arrived around 2:55 a.m. and shut him down.

Graham raised enough money to pay for his license - more than $2,000 - but the move may well backfire on him: The licensing board votes Thursday whether to strip him of his license altogether or suspend it for a period of time. This is at least the second time Graham has bounced a check to the board.

"I took bad advice," Graham said, pleading for mercy. Graham said if the board shuts him down, the move will throw restaurant employees out of work, end plans for a Codman Square redevelopment project he is involved in, deprive the neighborhood of a meeting spot and cost his mother her life savings and retirement money - which she has been plowing into the restaurant to help keep it afloat.

Board Chairwoman Nicole Murati Ferrer, however, told Graham she was finding it hard to deal with the fact he not only violated board regulations and disregarded an order from a police detective, he broke the law by serving food without a license and letting people drink well after the time they would have had to leave if the restaurant were legally open.

"You have to abide by the rules of this board and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts," she told him. "When a police officer tells you you need to be closed, you need to be closed."

Board members Suzanne Ianella and Milton Wright held their own counsel.

Graham said he didn't intend to open that night. But somebody - he didn't say who - made the suggestion to him as the restaurant hosted a private birthday party that afternoon for a four-year-old girl. As that party wound down, he decided to stay open, this time with a cash bar. He disputed a police report that he only opened the restaurant up at 1 a.m. for the after-hours party, but did not dispute being shut down by a phalanx of C-6 officers shortly before 3 a.m.

Mulvey said that in addition to the unlicensed hours, some 125 people were inside - its license only allows for a maximum of 34. The restaurant also had a DJ working in the basement even though its entertainment license doesn't allow for one.

Ernest Bennett, an aide to City Councilor Charles Yancey, also pleaded with the board to be lenient. Although Graham did a "terrible" thing, he has done a lot of good for the community, and "we would just hate to lose another small business in our community," he said. "Please don't take this business away from the community."

Elma Thompson, a member of the Community Improvement Association, said nearby residents have grown weary of after-hours events at the restaurant, some of which she said don't end until 6 a.m. She was backed up by a strong showing from Boston Police District C-11 - four officers attended the hearing, unusual for a hearing that only involves issues related to a food-serving license.

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Comments

If the poor guy couldn't afford $134 for his license, there's gotta be some serious problems. That is a paltry sum to charge a business; would everyone agree?

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The guy couldn't come up with $134 to pay a license fee? That sounds implausible. How's he going to meet payroll if he has a bad week?

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The owner couldn't come up with $134? That doesn't bode well for the "Codman Square redevelopment project" in which he's claiming involvement.

I feel bad for his mom, his employees, and his neighbors.

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If you're going to pull a stunt like that, try not getting caught. A DJ? For real? You deserve to be out of business, moron.

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Sending a police detective to pull a business's food license because a check for $134.00 bounced?

Sounds to me like the Licensing Board is looking for any excuse they can find to shut this guy down.

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This is at least the second time he's bounced a check to the licensing board.

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If you can't scrape together $134, perhaps it's time to think of entering another, perhaps even profitable, line of work.

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Hahaha, riiiight, more like "closed because you bounced a check to the licensing board"

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Shut the hole down. Sounds like if they don't it's the future site of a "Station" -like fire with major casualties. Any A*hole who pulls what he did, then stuffs 100+ people in a place only designed for 34 has no regards for safety of his patrons. Charles Yancey should get a kick the ass for supporting him too. What project is he involved in with the neighborhood - sounds like it should be investigated if this guy is involved!

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The City of Boston do not issue food and beverage license for $134. The license that the restaurant has cost well over $2000. I have know these people for years and their conduct in the community surpass the expectation. Do not condemn the owner for trying to keep his business afloat and taking care his employees, not to mention his family.

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I've changed the amount in the original post. My source was this City of Boston page. My apologies to anybody who based a comment on what I wrote.

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