Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Wasabi is located outside of Macy's at the South Shore Plaza.
A re-submitted application to serve beer and wine at Wasabi at the South Shore Plaza was looked upon more favorably by Braintree officials Tuesday afternoon than when the Japanese restaurant withdrew its request for a license last September. Eight months ago, Wasabi officials decided not to pursue its license application after members of the Board of License Commissioners questioned the establishment opening without full permitting and suggesting that it would store alcohol in a location separate from the licensed premises. On Tuesday, the three board members present – Chair Joe Powers, Russell Jenkins and Marybeth McGrath – voted to approve the Wine and Malt Restaurant License after a revised presentation by attorney Carl Johnson. Johnson…
Thursday, April 25, 2013
There will be tables and chairs outside from April 1 to Nov. 1.
Starbucks at the Hyatt Place is now allowed to set up outdoor seating in front of the store under a seasonal license issued this week by the Board of License Commissioners. The board voted unanimously on Tuesday afternoon to allow up to 16 seats in a designated area in front of the coffee shop. They will be positioned outside from April 1 through Nov. 1. Starbucks originally asked for 20 seats but moved to 16 on request from town officials due to a bathroom code. The extra seating requires two additional parking spaces, which will come from the landlord from a surplus of parking available at the retail complex. The chairs and tables will be stored off-site when not in use.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
The event was supposed to take place April 13 at the National Guard Armory.
Braintree officials denied a license this week to a Florida-based amusement company that had scheduled and already begun selling tickets to an event at the National Guard Armory on Union Street. The Board of License Commissioners on Tuesday voted 4-1 to not issue a Public Amusement License for Walker International Events because the planned variety show would have created "an unreasonable increase in pedestrian traffic," disruptive conduct due to a lack of parking space and high noise levels. They also cited the lack of a representative from the company available to answer questions from the board. "The fact that they have no one here to speak to it shows me that they are not prepared to partner with the community," Chair Joe Powers said. …
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
The state recently overturned an alcohol violation against the Braintree establishment.
Although Alex Kesaris said he is satisified with a recent decision by the state to overturn an alcohol violation lodged against The Brew House, the bar owner is rethinking plans to open another restaurant in Braintree because he feels targeted by two members of the license board. In a recent interview, Kesaris accused Marybeth McGrath, Director of Municipal Licenses & Inspection, and Inspector of Buildings Russell Forsberg of exhibiting a "double standard" when it comes to his establishment versus others licensed by the town, particularly those at the South Shore Plaza. The negative attention began even before The Brew House opened last year, Kesaris said, and has included an unwarranted level of scrutiny during the building process, …
The renewed focus on evidence stems from the state overturning a decision against The Brew House.
A recent decision by the state overturning the Board of License Commissioners on an alcohol violation provides Braintree officials a case based within the town to use as guidance in future hearings. The decision sets a high standard for proving violations – one that has trickled down from Superior Court rulings – that requires direct observation of intoxicated people being served alcohol. "We have a clear-cut decision right in front of us," Chair Joe Powers said after the board discussed the case Tuesday at Town Hall. "I for one will see to it that it is ingrained in the license authority's institutional memory." In March, the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission ruled that the local board used only hearsay evidence to find that The Brew…
Monday, April 8, 2013
Braintree officials found the Granite Street restaurant and bar in violation last September.
Braintree's Board of License Commissioners relied on hearsay evidence to find that The Brew House served an intoxicated person last August, according to an appeal decision filed by the state late last month. The Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission overturned the board's decision and its one-day suspended sentence, ruling that "All of the evidence presented to the Commission constitutes hearsay." License board members had determined that The Brew House served alcohol to a young woman who was celebrating her birthday with friends and who later ended up drunk and vomiting outside the Granite Street bar. During the hearing at Town Hall last September, an attorney for the establishment, Thomas J. Cavanaugh, argued that based on police …
Friday, March 29, 2013
The Braintree license board did the same when Burger King made a similar request.
Citing concerns about people driving through a mixed business and residential area late at night and a wider fear about Braintree inching toward being a "24-hour town," Braintree officials voted unanimously against granting McDonald's extended operating hours this week. The Board of License Commissioners denied McDonald's request to be open from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. in the lobby and 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. in the drive-through Tuesday afternoon. It currently operates from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. to midnight. The denial came eight years after the Board of Selectmen turned down Director of Operations Timothy Moulton's request for a 24-hour drive through at the Pearl Street restaurant and nearly a year after the license board disapproved of a …
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
The sandwich shop opened in Braintree at the Hyatt Place complex earlier this month.
After looking skeptically two weeks ago upon a proposal from Potbelly Sandwich Shop to feature live music during lunch, Braintree officials came around Tuesday and granted the restaurant an entertainment license. The Board of License Commissioners voted 4-1 to allow a single, acoustic guitar player to perform from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday and 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Live music has been a part of Potbelly's branding since it grew from an antique shop in Chicago to more than 300 locations today, marketing manager Eric Andreoni said. The 43-seat establishment at the Hyatt Place shopping complex across from the South Shore Plaza will feature mostly cover tunes from the 70s and 80s and Potbelly will encourage local…
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Braintree officials unanimously voted to give the restaurant a suspended sentence.
After a birthday drinking celebration turned into a confrontation in the Landing and trip to the hospital for one young man last September, Four Square Restaurant and Bar was penalized Tuesday with a one-day suspension of its all-alcohol license. Braintree officials unanimously agreed that the restaurant served an intoxicated person that night six months ago, but also voted to hold the penalty in abeyance as long as Four Square does not violate the terms of its license for 12 months. The decision came two weeks after the board penalized The Landing Pub with a two-day suspension of its alcohol license, to be served on a Friday and Saturday in April. That sentence is now on hold while the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission …
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
The sandwich shop opened in Braintree at the Hyatt Place complex earlier this month.
The idea of a single musician playing guitar during lunch at Potbelly Sandwich Shop exposed wider concerns that Braintree officials have about the new Hyatt Place retail and restaurant complex. "For the record, I'm not afraid of guitar players," Board of License Commissioners Chair Joe Powers said. The board put on hold Tuesday afternoon a request by the restaurant to obtain an entertainment license. Its decision was informed by the Planning Department's concern that the Forbes Road shopping center may be evolving away from the more retail-oriented vision initially presented by the developer, and also by Potbelly's preemptive advertising of live music and placement of outdoor seating. Chicago-based Potbelly Sandwiches received a food …
Livnxspence
9:15 pm on Thursday, April 11, 2013
Thank you for the update. Can't believe they were advertising and selling tickets without the requested parking plans or police details. Glad I didn't buy tickets. more ›