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State rules Cambridge screwed up trying to discipline a restaurant over tea candles
By adamg on Fri, 10/04/2019 - 10:45pm
Cambridge Day reports the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission has ruled city inspectors improperly cited a regulation involving the use of candles to cook food in their campaign against a Cambridge restaurant that had tea candles on tables for ambience.
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| Attachment | Size |
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 Complete ABCC decision | 519.14 KB |
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Comments
Stoves
Can cause fires too. Maybe all Cambridge restaurants should only serve cold food and microwaved meals.
cold baby
Now I'll have to not only develop a taste for baby but cold baby so I can help end the CO2 Climate Crisis.
Bribes smooth things out so well
Perhaps what motivated the Cantabridgian masters of law was that they just didn't receive the payoffs they believed were appropriate.
These Cambridge public servants, though misguided
and unaware of the laws governing such, are our only defense against the oligarchy behind the world candle cooking movement.
dont these owners know how this all works?!
When the FD boys show up with their gear and axes to put on a nice show, you slide an envelope to the Cap'n directly or ask to have the Marshall come by the next day to "discuss" the violation.
He too will accept said envelope and the violation goes away.
This is "Operating a Restaurant in Boston or Cambridge 101".
We had a partner who surprisingly enough was related to the Marshall at the time and as luck would have it, nobody checked a thing before getting a permit.
Pretty sure over 2/3rds of the homes in the Irish Riviera were payed for this way.
The ABCC screwed up. But...
.... considering that burning tea candles release dangerous toxins into the air that patrons and employees must breathe, you might say they were still protecting the public when they imposed the ban.
I don’t know why restaurants don’t just use the non toxic battery ones.
I'm more considered about
I'm more considered about toxic pollution released from cars, airplanes and factories than a tealight candle. A romantic dinner by candlelight is lovely. If you're nervous about ill-effects of a small candle then you can ask the server to remove it from the table.
Battery-powered tea "candles"
Battery-powered tea "candles" are not non-toxic, they just shift the health impacts from the end user to the communities where raw material extraction and assembly for batteries, LEDs, and the other electronics takes place, usually in some other country.
I think I'd prefer that a few upscale diners in Cambridge inhale some bad air.
Good point.
About shifting the health impacts.
I’m happy to do without either kind.
Jealousy
Lacking much candlepower themselves
Nice decision by the state.
Nice decision by the state. Communist Cambridge at its finest...
Communist?
Oh, no honey - this is blatant capitalistic behavior 101.
Look at the Pay to Play modern-day GOP for more information.
Nice Decision by the State
Can anyone post a link to the decision? It's really strange that Cambridge Days didn't post it since its all about transparency..
ABCC will eventually post it
ABCC will eventually post it here: https://www.mass.gov/lists/abcc-2019-decisions
... but they're only caught up to May 2019 so far, so it could be a while.
Irony in this- the day this
Irony in this- the day this judgement comes down was the day the "For Sale" banner went up on the UAV building UpperWest is housed in
Amend the law to eliminate restaurant candles, too dangerous
While I generally think government should stay out of most things, an open flame is ill-advised in restaurants or any place of assembly. I believe when this first came to light (punny) it was discovered that restaurant candle bans are a "local option" law that Boston has enacted but Cambridge hasn't. On seeing that their laws don't cover the situation, Cambridge officials should have amended it or added a by-law to the restaurant permit requirements. The legal battle waged by Cambridge seems ridiculous.
I have no idea if this is a case of harassment but fires in places of assembly can be catastrophic, see Coconut Grove, Station Nightclub etc. In an age where safe, battery operated facsimile tealights are widely available, there's no need for the risk. I believe in Boston and elsewhere a candle permit can be obtained from Fire Prevention on a case-by-case basis. Ask any experienced firefighter how many house fires have been caused since the huge increase in popularity of scented candles, also church fires caused by religious candles. I recall St. Anthony's Shrine on Arch Street and many other churches switched to electric "candles" years ago. This restaurant should do the same.
Try telling your wife that
Try telling your wife that battery powered lights provide a reasonable facsimile of romance...
Candles come close behind..
... smoking materials which are the number one cause of residential fires.
Candle permit = firefighter detail pay
Another argument for creating another level of legal extortion.
Gosh, how many restaurants have burned down because of tealights? The kitchens are probably far more dangerous place. They have gas stoves for Pete's sake!
Catholic churches use electric lights instead of wax candles out of concerns for safety? LOL
ahhh yea.
I'm pretty sure that is the only reason many churches went from candles to electric candles.
Because of fire risk and fire codes in many places.
Feelings are not facts.
Where is the evidence that Catholic churches chose electric lights over candles due to fire considerations?
There is evidence that insurers require electric lights. But I have not found evidence that real wax candles are the cause of fires.
Insurance = money. Hence electric lights are given preference.
As for fire risk I can think of churches that maintain a burning candle in the area of the altar. There are of course the other candles, such as the Paschal Candle. If electric lights are sufficient and actual fire is a hazard then that would be enough reason to eliminate ALL sources of fire from churches.
So what are you saying.....?
That your asking me for evidence of the switch? Or you’re guessing why churches choose electric candles over real candles?