How Boston is preparing business owners for new liquor license apps
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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
Boston has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to award liquor licenses to businesses that have largely been shut out of the process.
Yes, but: Officials say they need to make sure these business owners not only learn about the new liquor licenses, but also meet the requirements to obtain them.
Why it matters: Liquor licenses cost upward of $600,000 in Boston, making it nearly impossible for small business owners with limited funds to buy one.
Catch up fast: The new law granting Boston the 225 licenses made the vast majority of them — 198 — neighborhood-restricted, meaning they can be used only in certain ZIP codes.
- A business that stops using the license must return it to the city instead of selling it to another business.
Zoom in: The Boston Licensing Board started notifying business owners about the potential new liquor licenses during office hours in August, before the bill reached the governor's desk.
- Boston has received 16 applications since Sept. 1, Kathleen Joyce, the licensing board chair, said during a city hearing yesterday.
- City officials are holding informational calls for prospective licensees until their first deadline on Dec. 6, said Segun Idowu, the city's chief of economic opportunity and inclusion.
Between the lines: Business owners who could afford to buy liquor licenses in recent years tended to operate in wealthier neighborhoods, like the Back Bay or Seaport.
- When they buy liquor licenses from owners in Mattapan or Dorchester, the neighborhood loses access to a restaurant that sells alcohol, effectively dampening its nightlife scene.
- Mattapan, until recently, spent years without a single liquor license in the neighborhood, Council President Ruthzee Louijeune said yesterday.
What they're saying: "What we're doing here today is making sure that these licenses, which are essentially a golden ticket and an economic tool for a lot of restaurateurs, are distributed equitably across the 13 ZIP codes," said City Councilor Brian Worrell, who introduced the local bill that led to the liquor license law.
By the numbers: 13 ZIP codes in the South End, Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan, East Boston, Charlestown, Jamaica Plain, Roslindale, West Roxbury and Hyde Park will get five liquor licenses a year over three years.
- Three are all-alcohol and two are beer-and-wine licenses.
- Each license has to be renewed after three years or the city can give it to another business.
- Restaurants in the Oak Square section of Brighton will get another three non-transferrable liquor licenses.
- Nonprofits, theaters and outdoor community spaces can get 15 licenses.
- 12 licenses will be unrestricted (those are typically the kind that cost six figures).
What's next: The licensing board plans to host a webinar at 3:30pm Oct. 9 with the head of the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission to walk attendees through the typical liquor license application.