Cheeseboy Receives Food License, Board Acknowledges Flaw

Following some stern words for eatery Cheeseboy earlier this month, and the possibility that it might have been forced to shut down, town officials on Tuesday granted the business a food license and accepted part of the blame for it not getting one in the first place.

Board of License Commissioners Chair Joe Powers said that both internal and external miscommunication led to Cheeseboy opening on March 15 without a required Common Victualler License. The food stand then operated for nearly two months without the permit, though with the approval of other bodies such as the health board and police department, before .

At that meeting, board members questioned Mark Swiderski, the company's director of development, as to why he neglected to file the request until the licensing coordinator contacted him in April. Swiderski said he was unaware of the requirement.

On Tuesday, Powers said the license board should develop better procedures for communicating with other town departments, so that when they are working with a business on permitting, commissioners are also effectively informed.

"It's embarrassing, frankly," Powers said. "If the town doesn't have its act together, its hard to come down on anyone beyond that."

Still, he said, applicants have a responsibility to inform themselves. Powers mentioned the example of Ruthie's Sweets, a small business on Washington Street that was granted a license earlier in the meeting, prior to its opening. The establishment was allowed hours of operation from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and will also sell packaged treats.

The board voted 4-0, with member Marybeth McGrath absent, to grant Cheeseboy's license, contingent on a finalized worker's compensation document.