Grand Canal, already facing mounting license suspensions over bouncer beatdowns, had its license suspended for two more days after detectives found customers ordering Coors Lite bottles getting second bottles for free.
At a hearing last week, owner David Murray said the beer wasn't technically free, which would violate state law, because Coors paid him at the end of the night for the bottles of Coors two women handed out from his supply. He told the board his Coors distributor told him this made the practice OK.
Board Chairwoman Nicole Murati Ferrer said he should be asking her board or the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission for advice on what is or isn't legal under state laws, not beer distributors.
Murray can decide when to shut for two days or appeal the board decision to the commission.
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Comments
Thanks for getting to the
By anon
Tue, 06/18/2013 - 12:14pm
Thanks for getting to the bottom of this important issue, BPD.
this has
By anon
Tue, 06/18/2013 - 1:11pm
nothing to do with the bpd...
Actually, it does
By adamg
Tue, 06/18/2013 - 1:17pm
In the same way taxi licensing does (or did, at least until the hackney guy was suspended). BPD has three fulltime detectives assigned to the licensing division, and they roam the city, fighting a never ending battle for truth, justice and, um, er, well, they are assigned to enforce city and state regulations related to liquor, food serving, pool tables and dancing (although for food serving, they don't do inspections, just check to make sure the place has a valid license and is not serving food past its licensed closing time).
They don't arrest anybody, but instead issue citations that require the licensed establishments to show up for hearings before either of the city's two licensing boards (and often, both), which then decide on penalties.
In cases where none of the detectives are available, BPD patrol supervisors on duty at the time of the violation can issue citations as well.
That's ridiculous
By bosguy22
Tue, 06/18/2013 - 2:37pm
Nearly every liquor company has promotional models that walk around giving out free samples of their product. I hate the Grand Canal, but it's absurd that they may get penalized for this. If Coors is paying him for beers, then they aren't free. What if I buy a drink for a woman at a bar? Are they on the hook for giving her a free drink?
This is just a hunch
By Kaz
Tue, 06/18/2013 - 3:02pm
But if Coors was handing out free drinks as a promotion at the time, this wouldn't have been a problem.
Instead, it sounds like they were telling the bar owner to do a 2-for-1 style deal where at the end, Coors would reimburse him for the cost of the second beers. That violates the consumer side of the equation where our happy hour law says you can't discount the cost of beer on the spot.
that's not how the promotions usually go.
By bosguy22
Tue, 06/18/2013 - 3:06pm
Usually they have a couple scantily clad girls walk around and if you're drinking a coors light, they give you one for free. Then it sounds like they pay the bar for whatever they gave away.
Doesn't sound different
By Kaz
Tue, 06/18/2013 - 3:18pm
That doesn't sound different enough from my second scenario to argue around the law.
If the Coors girls brought extra beers to hand out to those that they saw with Coors already, that would be different in terms of whether the bar was involved or not.
There's also a two-fisting rule in the happy hour law too that says you can't be served 2 drinks at once (violated all the time, I'm sure).
Here:
204 CMR 4.00 Prohibition of Certain Practices
who's to know?
By Jim Beam
Tue, 06/18/2013 - 3:45pm
Why would any legitimate establishment that serves beer, wine or alcohol know about this absurd law or better yet agree to such foolishness?
Heh
By anon²
Wed, 06/19/2013 - 9:25am
Because it's their job?
It's my understanding that
By Anon
Tue, 06/18/2013 - 4:03pm
It's my understanding that you can have across-the-board drink specials, but that the discount price cannot be based on previous consumption (i.e. 2-for-1.) If Coors wanted to run a promotion where Coors cost $1/pint, then fine. Seems like the free alcohol was based on a prior purchase, which would be a violation of this law.
Goes to show
By anon
Tue, 06/18/2013 - 12:20pm
How odd the state liquor laws can be, and how little the people who SHOULD understand them, actually do.
I've been the beneficiary (sort of, since it was Coors Light) of this same exact promotion before, but at a different bar. For every Coors Light draft I bought, the two whorishly dressed beer reps who were there handing out T-shirts and key chains would buy me another one on their tab.
Whelp
By rsybuchanan
Tue, 06/18/2013 - 12:21pm
I guess there's no silver bullet for Grand Canal's problems with the board.
the legislature was only paid to allow this for casinos
By anon
Tue, 06/18/2013 - 12:28pm
Only casinos were lobbied to be able to do this, until the MA legislature gets donations to their campaigns to allow other bars to do this, it will remain illegal with casinos getting the special privileges they paid for.
I think we'll all agree that
By walkingcity
Tue, 06/18/2013 - 12:37pm
I think we'll all agree that they're in the right here... it's downright unethical to charge someone for a coors light.
Yuck!
By anon
Tue, 06/18/2013 - 1:09pm
I don't understand how anyone can drink Coors Light!
Like sex in a canoe
By Lunchbox
Tue, 06/18/2013 - 2:31pm
F*cking close to water
so what about Blanchards?
By anon
Tue, 06/18/2013 - 3:21pm
They had a sign outside their JP location that said "free beer" and then in tiny little letters "tasting". I called the mayor's office and they said it didn't sound up to snuff.
So, what about them?
Really?
By walkingcity
Tue, 06/18/2013 - 4:12pm
tattle tale.
the hero our city deserves
By zetag
Tue, 06/18/2013 - 4:23pm
the hero our city deserves
Boston
By anon
Tue, 06/18/2013 - 4:54pm
has turned into a town of rats and informants. All you newcomers have no street smarts.
Rats and informants
By anon
Wed, 06/19/2013 - 9:26am
For enforcing the laws that you old-timers put in place? If you don't like the law then why did you let it be instated?
It seems like your real issue is with the people who lived here when the law was passed, and not the newcomers.
Carrie Nation?
By Save it for Later
Tue, 06/18/2013 - 5:03pm
That you, girlfriend?
so what about Blanchard's?
By Steven Gallanter
Wed, 06/19/2013 - 2:23pm
This is almost certainly a pre-paid event which has been paid for by the sales reps and not dependent on a previous purchase or consumption by a certain time. It is exceedingly unlikely that this event is illegal.
I am a bartender.
That distributor has been in
By kvn
Tue, 06/18/2013 - 4:05pm
That distributor has been in business for a long time, it is one of the best run distributors in the country. They are well run , and they know their onions. I can recall times when one its owners , Walter , God rest his soul, would come into a joint and set up the bar with his product. That's the way it was, its not something new, except maybe the sweet babes bouncing around. Beer , whiskey , set em up boys, its on the house. As the Rocking Stones sang , Let it Be....
Thanks Mike Dukakis and alcoholic wife, Kitty
By Markk02474
Tue, 06/18/2013 - 7:19pm
For making happy hour and any alcohol promotions illegal in Massachusetts. No fun allowed. Hey, what do you call empty booze bottles on the roadside? Kitty litter.
I have to give you a point...
By RhoninFire
Tue, 06/18/2013 - 8:19pm
I really wanted to believe you are just being anti-Democrat. I liked Dukakis from what I read about him. And since I see infrastructure as a huge issue (meanwhile one guy who just announced his candidacy for governor completely ignore infrastructure as a priority for listing education and health care - which I am interpreting more funds but probably in the way I don't like to go, while ignoring both roads and rails), I think he would have left a good impact on the US as president.
But Google-checking your claims finds that it's true. http://www.wickedlocal.com/wellesley/news/x4643947...
To be fair, it seems his personal life gave him a good reason. But I think everyone here would like to see a Happy Hour. There's other ways to keep everyone safe than just banning it.
Explains anti-car bias
By Markk02474
Wed, 06/19/2013 - 4:40am
Thanks for the article. I never knew why Dukakis' institute had an anti-car bias until now reading that his brother got killed on a bicycle.
Gee, Markkkkk
By Brian Riccio
Tue, 06/18/2013 - 8:46pm
I bet you think if you drink Coors, than all those hot chicks will want to have sex with you. You know, the way the TV box shows you it is when you drink booze!!!
Courvoisier for The Ladies Man!
By Markk02474
Wed, 06/19/2013 - 4:41am
No Coors for me.
Dude , where you been ? That
By kvn
Wed, 06/19/2013 - 7:07am
Dude , where you been ? That is the foundation of all the beer companies advertising for a long , long time now. Budweiser has made an art of it.
If you can't say anything nice...
By John-W
Tue, 06/18/2013 - 9:32pm
...go fuck yourself.
Absurdity
By BostonUrbEx
Wed, 06/19/2013 - 9:08am
And then we wonder how anyone dare call our bar scenes boring whenever someone starts handing out lists of city ratings of nightlife and pubs.
How many more ridiculous laws, regulations, etc are there? Has there been any measurable increase in public safety? What is it all for?
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