City cracking down on lazy valets who clog streets instead of bringing cars to garages, lots

The Mistral customer was upset, Sgt. Robert Mulvey said. He'd paid extra to have a valet park his brand new BMW X5 SUV in a garage. Instead, he came out around 9 p.m. on March 15 to find the car damaged and the interior in disarray from where a woman had been rummaging around it - as it sat untended on Stanhope Street.

The Boston Licensing Board today heard reports on incidents at three separate Back Bay restaurants in which valets working for Ultimate Valet left cars on the street, in violation of city regulations that require them to move the vehicles to off-street facilities.

In the Mistral case, the customer had every right to be upset, board Chairman Daniel Pokaski said. "He paid for a valet, he paid for it to go into a secure spot, not for it going into the street."

Joshua Lemay of Ultimate agreed - especially since the garage used by Mistral valets is just an easy walk away. "For the record, there is no excuse whatsoever, sheer laziness is the culprit."

Mulvey said on March 11, an Ultimate valet at Stephanie's on Newbury Street left two cars parked out front for almost 40 minutes - city regulations require them to be moved within 10. The worker claimed he didn't know about the requirement. The day before, he said, a valet at Grille 23 on Stuart Street simply moved a car to an open space across the street, which is also against regulation. Mulvey said the valet - who has worked for Ultimate for 12 years - he did so because "it's a legal space" and a shorter walk than the garage.

Lemay said the company held a seminar for all its managers and employees last month to re-educate them on city valet laws. City officials and police were among the presenters.

Pokaski warned restaurant owners that if the board levies punishments, it will be their licenses that are affected, not the valet companies. He told one restaurant manager he should be having his workers check outside periodically to ensure the valets are doing their jobs. It's especially vital, he said, in a congested area like the Back Bay, he said.