MA Liquor Laws

I'd also be curious how the state is going to dole these out since demand is certainly going to be much higher than the number of newly issued licenses.
 
And the artificial scarcity scramble begins. It's underrated, I think, but one of the worst parts about this whole stupid system is that it builds animosity pointed in a bunch of directions that is wholly unnecessary.

www.bostonglobe.com

âI am deserving of that licenseâ: As Boston readies to dole out liquor licenses, the jockeying begins - The Boston Globe

A high-stakes scramble has begun for new liquor licenses in Boston, which can make or break economic livelihoods of restaurants and the neighborhoods they are in.
www.bostonglobe.com www.bostonglobe.com

  • First is the brilliant legislative structure, making things ripe for influence (and dare I say corruption):
The Legislature has left it entirely up to the city of Boston on how it will distribute these coveted licenses. Licensing Board chair Kathleen Joyce, in an email response to questions, said the board “has not yet determined how many unrestricted licenses will be granted during the first round of review.”

  • Next comes the personal grievance:
Ask Carla Gomes, who owns Terramia and Antico Forno in the North End, and she’ll tell you she, too, deserves a full-alcohol license after being turned down multiple times over the years.

“I don’t think anyone should get a liquor license before me,” she said.

  • Then comes the animosity towards those who prevail, rather than towards a stupid and self-inflicted system that helps effectively nobody:
Still, guardrails haven’t stopped those with deep pockets from pursuing unrestricted licenses in hopes they, too, can get something for free.

Serafina on Newbury Street, for instance, is part of an international chain with close to 30 locations from New York City to Tokyo. Now the Back Bay restaurant is seeking a free upgrade of its beer-and-wine license to a full value license.
[...]
Yet an upgraded license will allow the restaurant to potentially expand its space and hours into the evening. For co-owner Lee Morgan, the new licenses represent a chance to help small, independent businesses like Silver Dove thrive.

“Every year, Boston gets more and more corporate,” he said.

Formally this is better than nothing, but not by much. This is one of those things that is so clearly responsible for making the Boston food scene worse than in Cambridge, Somerville, and Brookline.
 
Justbuildit said:
“Every year, Boston gets more and more corporate,” he said.
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I think this is the crux of the argument for me. Boston keeps turning into a city of CVSes and (I hate to bring it up again) Taco Bell Cantinas. Boston's food scene is kind of embarrassing, not because there's a lack of talent, but because the talent has a lack of money for the things they need.

We need more local restaurants, more local bars, and we need them to be local to Boston, not Brookline, not Somerville, and not Cambridge. Open the flood gates, massholes aren't going to drink more alcohol as a result.
 
If anything, Boston should have more than our proportional share of liquor licenses than any other city in the state. With influx from tourists, concert and game-goers, conference attendees, and the like, we should be swimming in licenses. Just fundamentally broken.
 
Justbuildit said:
If anything, Boston should have more than our proportional share of liquor licenses than any other city in the state. With influx from tourists, concert and game-goers, conference attendees, and the like, we should be swimming in licenses. Just fundamentally broken.
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We are losing neighborhood dives to Landsdowne Conglomerates and National Chains. This current trend is on it's way to strip Boston of a great deal of it's character.

Maybe it's up to the Historical Society to save our Tams and Silhouettes. I'd be happy to be a NIMBY for shitty chain restaurants that hog up liquor licenses.
 
www.bostonglobe.com

In potential sea change, Mass. Senate votes to give local officials, not Legislature, power to set liquor license caps - The Boston Globe

The Senate attached the proposal to its $61 million budget plan, in effect voting to diffuse a power the Legislature has long enjoyed.
www.bostonglobe.com www.bostonglobe.com
Local officials, and not lawmakers on Beacon Hill, would be empowered to determine the number of liquor licenses distributed in their city or town under a measure the Massachusetts Senate passed Thursday, advancing what would be a sea change in how these sought-after permits are handled.
[...]
The proposal, however, faced immediate resistance in the House, where Democratic leaders say they see no reason to change a model giving lawmakers a say in policy that can affect their neighborhoods.
“In our community, liquor licenses can be great or they can be problematic, and for me to give my community’s voice away would be political recklessness on my behalf,” said House Majority Leader Michael Moran, a Brighton Democrat who last year negotiated a bill giving Boston hundreds of more liquor licenses. The final bill including language that specifically steered several licenses to Oak Square in Brighton, a detail that was not in the original proposal.
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Had no idea this was in the works, and I try to follow this issue pretty closely. Looks like it was tucked in to the overall budget and flew right through. My lord I really hope this ends up passing and doesn't get yanked at the 11th hour like the last time it was almost law.

Looks like some serious roadblocks left in the house and is still a bit weak on implementation, but carving Boston out of its specific narrow and terrible niche would be a big step in the right direction.
 
themissinglink said:
www.bostonglobe.com

In potential sea change, Mass. Senate votes to give local officials, not Legislature, power to set liquor license caps - The Boston Globe

The Senate attached the proposal to its $61 million budget plan, in effect voting to diffuse a power the Legislature has long enjoyed.
www.bostonglobe.com www.bostonglobe.com
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I think this is a good step in the right direction. I actually believe that cities/towns or even the state should not have any control as to how many licenses get distributed because eventually the market will decide how many establishments a city or town can handle. I believe the state should only regulate the rules regarding the procurement of one.

When the state, or even the municipality, controls the number of licenses distributed, that opens the door to favoritism, extortion and other shenanigans that may favor one establishment over another.
 
“In our community, liquor licenses can be great or they can be problematic, and for me to give my community’s voice away would be political recklessness on my behalf,” said House Majority Leader Michael Moran, a Brighton Democrat who last year negotiated a bill giving Boston hundreds of more liquor licenses. The final bill including language that specifically steered several licenses to Oak Square in Brighton, a detail that was not in the original proposal.
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Moran is so obviously on the take from corporate restaurant interests. This is precisely the kind of corruption @MrDee12345 notes as a risk of controlled supply. Not only that, the argument made by the Majority Leader is ridiculous -- does he honestly think his constituents have no voice in questions determined by the city that they live in?
 
www.bostonglobe.com

Happy days are here again: More booze can be served in Boston and other towns - The Boston Globe

Businesses can trade in their beer-and-wine license for a restricted all-alcohol license.
www.bostonglobe.com www.bostonglobe.com
Restaurant and bar patrons in Boston and the rest of the state could have more opportunities to sip cocktails, thanks to a policy change slipped into the new state budget.

State Representative Aaron Michlewitz, a North End Democrat who serves as the House Ways and Means Committee chair, inserted a provision that gives municipalities the authority to allow businesses to trade in their beer-and-wine license for a restricted all-alcohol license.

The license — which would allow an establishment to serve vodka, gin, and other spirits — could not be resold and would need to be returned to the municipality when a business closes. It would not increase the overall number of alcohol licenses in the state.
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Positive but not a fix. As long as any beer/wine in the state it's positive. But since these new formerly-beer-now-liquor licenses are no longer transferable, and creating new beer licenses is still very hard, my guess is the incumbent full-liquor licenses will still trade at a very high price, maybe higher.

Imagine a new restaurant in back bay or seaport or wherever wanting a full liquor license in 3 years and there are no new beer and wine licenses created for the city (which this restaurant could convert). The only source for a full liquor license is from the pool of always-been-liquor licenses. This conversion program does nothing to alleviate the supply-demand issue for anyone in the future but as the article suggests, does make current beer/wine-only shops very happy. With the North End very much in that camp let's see if it pays any political dividends to Wu and others.
 
Justbuildit said:
Positive but not a fix. As long as any beer/wine in the state it's positive. But since these new formerly-beer-now-liquor licenses are no longer transferable, and creating new beer licenses is still very hard, my guess is the incumbent full-liquor licenses will still trade at a very high price, maybe higher.

Imagine a new restaurant in back bay or seaport or wherever wanting a full liquor license in 3 years and there are no new beer and wine licenses created for the city (which this restaurant could convert). The only source for a full liquor license is from the pool of always-been-liquor licenses. This conversion program does nothing to alleviate the supply-demand issue for anyone in the future but as the article suggests, does make current beer/wine-only shops very happy. With the North End very much in that camp let's see if it pays any political dividends to Wu and others.
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That's not entirely true. A formerly-beer-now-liquor license will revert to the city if/when the establishment that holds it closes, thereby converting what used to be a private asset into a public one. So the city will gradually accumulate full liquor licenses that it will maintain control of in perpetuity and can distribute to future restaurants that need them. This is actually a very smart policy--makes current beer/wine shops happy, and will eventually chip away at the supply/demand issue.
 
The state's distribution mechanism to bars and restaurants across Boston is opaque and open to influence or other machinations that are arguably worse than just buying a license from a shuttering establishment. The zip code restricted licenses are easy enough (how many applicants were there in Oak Square) but the 12 new unrestricted licenses that were created recently are being awarded based on...some general sense of need/merit? I don't really have an idea.

This needs to be a supply-side solution. I can't imagine the state will accrue these new beer-to-liquor licenses from closed restaurants at a pace fast enough to feed the need of new establishments opening. And if they do accumulate these licenses over time then it means there are fewer extant licenses in operations at a given moment, a further supply restriction. Assuming Healey is re-elected next year she needs to put this back on the docket and advocate for Boston home rule like every other city and town in this state.
 
www.bostonglobe.com

‘Like winning the lottery’: How a wave of free liquor licenses is making Boston a cooler place to eat, drink, and live - The Boston Globe

The city has approved 64 liquor licenses since a landmark expansion in 2024.
www.bostonglobe.com www.bostonglobe.com

Unlike the old system that required restaurant owners to fork over hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy a license from a shuttered restaurant, the new licenses are given out for free. And most are tied to 13 ZIP codes that could use the economic boost of sit-down restaurants including Mattapan, Roxbury, and Hyde Park. These so-called restricted licenses can’t be bought or sold and must be returned to the city after a business closes.

So far, 64 liquor licenses have been approved across 14 neighborhoods, according to the Boston Licensing Board. Fourteen licenses landed in Dorchester, followed by 11 in East Boston, 10 in Jamaica Plain, 6 in Roslindale, and 5 each in Roxbury and the South End.
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www.bostonglobe.com

13 Boston restaurants to receive new alcohol licenses, city announces - The Boston Globe

The licenses were among more than 200 alcohol licenses created under state legislation passed in September 2024.
www.bostonglobe.com www.bostonglobe.com
The neighborhood-restricted licenses issued on Thursday were among more than 200 alcohol licenses under state legislation passed in September 2024.
In early 2025, the licensing board began approving the licenses, the “single largest addition to Boston’s liquor license quota since the end of Prohibition,” city officials said in a press release. Mayor Michelle Wu said the new licenses will allow restaurants across the city to spark economic growth.
“Boston’s small businesses are the backbone of our neighborhoods, creating connections and driving economic growth in every corner of our city,” Wu said in a statement. “By expanding access to licenses, we’re opening doors to opportunity for entrepreneurs and I encourage businesses across Boston to take advantage of these critical licenses and upgrades.”
In addition, the licensing board on Thursday approved five restricted alcohol licenses that were first made available in 2006, officials said. The licenses are limited to specific areas, including Main Streets Districts, urban renewal areas, and Municipal Harbor Plan areas, officials said.
The 18 new licenses cannot be sold on the open market like traditional licenses, said the licensing board’s executive secretary, Danny Green.
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South End​

  • Agosto and Baby Sister, (All Alcohol)
  • Bey, (All Alcohol)
  • Nan Xiang Express, (All Alcohol)
  • Perch, (Beer and Wine)

East Boston​

  • 355 Bennington Holdings, (All Alcohol)
  • Italian Express, (All Alcohol)
  • Pomona Cafe III, (All Alcohol)

Jamaica Plain​

  • Behan Caffe, (All Alcohol)
  • Ethiopian Cafe, (All Alcohol)
  • Third Cliff Bakery, (Beer and Wine)
  • Ula Cafe, (Beer and Wine)

Roslindale​

  • Safari African Restaurant, (All Alcohol)

West Roxbury​

  • Maria’s Kitchen, (Beer and Wine)
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Here are the five restaurants approved for restricted alcohol licenses originally made available in 2006, according to city officials:

Allston​

  • Holdfast Specialty Seafood Rolls, (Beer and Wine)
  • Tofu Story, (All Alcohol)

Chinatown​

  • Hunan Gourmet, (Beer and Wine)
  • Liuyishou Hotpot, (Beer and Wine)
  • Shoyu Boston, (Beer and Wine)
Click to expand...
 
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