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Roslindale restaurant first to get hearing on BYOB license
By adamg on Fri, 03/17/2017 - 12:40pm
The Boston Licensing Board next week holds a hearing on Seven Star Street Bistro's request for a license that would let patrons bring their own beer or wine to drink with their meals.
The board last month began accepting BYOB applications from small restaurants without liquor license in Boston's outer neighborhoods for one of the permits - after the City Council and Mayor Walsh approved setting regulations for the new-for-Boston concept.
Councilors had cited Seven Star on Belgrade Avenue as a prime example of the need for BYOB - a small restaurant that could not afford a full liquor license, which can go for six figures, and outside one of the Main Street districts where lower-cost licenses became available in 2014.
Under the board's regulations, diners at restaurants who get one of the $400 BYOB licenses would be allowed to bring in wine bottles no larger than 750 ml. Although the board initially proposed banning beer drinkers from bringing in beer bottles larger than 16 ounces - and no more than 64 ounces in total - the board amended that to allow growlers as well. Diners also could not leave during their meals to get more to drink. BYOB would be limited to 5 p.m. through 11 p.m.
The licenses are not available to restaurants downtown and in the North End, South End, Bay Village, Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Fenway, Chinatown, the Seaport and the West End.
The board's Wednesday hearings - which include other restaurants and stores - start at 10 a.m. in its eighth-floor hearing room in City Hall.
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Comments
Then they will make them
Then they will make them stand o one leg whilst doing a jig and balancing plates on their heads. I DON'T CARE IF A RESTARUANT HAS BYOB. We are all GD adults.
*rant over*
Besides morality, is there
Besides morality, is there any other reason why cities limit the number of alcohol licenses and create an artificial scarcity?
Because citizens can't be trusted to be adults and responsible
Money probably plays a role too, on a number of levels.
People entrenched in the false economy
Once you create a false economy by creating a commodity (liquor licenses) that can be bought and sold on the open market, those people who stand to benefit (politically connected license holders) will fight anything that can devalue their commodity. They have a great deal of money invested in the artificially created scarcity. Right now someone owning an unrestricted transferrable liquor license can sell it for about $300,000. Many of the owners can feel like that's money in the bank.
The problem with a false economy is that it can always go away in an instant (see: taxi medallions vs. Über/Lyft) and the people who participated in the speculation can feel as if they're having an entitlement taken away. To avoid that, the participants will fight tooth and nail to avoid it happening.
Because of the heavy political maneuvering, it can seem to an observer that the battle makes no sense at all. But it's really the majority of people who are mostly ambivalent (maybe they want some more places to eat) fighting against a very small but wealthy and heavily vested minority that will do everything in their power to stop any change from occurring.
They don't
The state doesn't trust the Irish, so they control how many liquor licenses Boston has. Otherwise, back when this was starting to become an issue, Boston could have granted more and more licenses.
On the other hand, Boston is allowed to control the board that gives them out now. That was not always the case. Heck, at one point Boston didn't even have control over its own police department, though we paid for it.
What about beer that is only
What about beer that is only sold in larger 22 oz bottles?
Given recent events
One would think that more beer in fewer bottles would be preferable?
And why 16 oz for beer, but 750ml for wine?
Forties
For proper enjoyment, must be served in paper bag.
Two thoughts....
It was my understanding that Seven Star gave up their beer and wine license because they were too financially stretched. Indeed, Chris and Michelle had no license at my last visit and I believe it has hurt business.
As to the requirements, based on the above, technically, you cannot even bring in a 6-pack. Ridiculous.
As to beer/wine quantity limitations, how does it all work? Per diner? Per table? Per group?
Per Adult Diner....
As I recall from a previous discussion on this issue.
Limits are per person
So a foursome could bring in four bottles of wine.