As released by the Massachusetts Restaurant Association last night, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh continues to work towards improvements in the current rules and regulations surrounding the city's late night dining and entertainment options.
Boston's Late Night Task Force, assembled early on in Mayor Walsh's term, has been focusing its efforts on extended closing hours and streamlined city processes, simplifying the way business is done in Boston. A sampling of the most recent recommendations passed on by the Task Force are as follows:
- Later closing hours within designated downtown areas (with Licensing Board hearing);
- Allowance of patio and deck alcoholic beverages without the requirement to serve food;
- Allow operators citywide with 10pm & 11pm closing hours to stay open until midnight;
- Inspectional Services automatically schedules inspections once operators renew their Certificates of Inspections;
- Allowance of later closing hours for live entertainment and music played on patios (but shhh...you still can't disturb your neighbors)
For more comments from around the Boston restaurant industry, read this morning's Boston Globe article.
What say you? Are we moving in the right direction? What other bullet list items do you think would be beneficial to streamlining the city's processes?