The New Retail Thread

I like Fuku alot. Hopefully this and Milk Bar are a sign of things to come. I think a full fledged Momofuku restaurant would be a perfect fit for the retain portion of Parcel M1-M2. They are always packed in the CC DC location.
 
Bos77 said:
Closing hours of literally anything at night, outdoor drinking without requirement of having to eat shitty food, no dogs in restaurants, pubs, outdoor patios, etc. Happy Hour, anyone?

I'm not even a big drinker (most of the time), but find these little things to be grating annoyances - either from living or visiting other places where all this is non-issue - OR - having guests visit the city and being embarrassingly reprimanded at every corner.
Click to expand...

With you on most of these things. Relaxing the closing hours and striking down the happy hour ban would go a long way toward erasing our puritanical reputation.

Outdoor patios/beer gardens etc would just liven up city life. We're always talking about our world-class street level, and this would kick it into high gear.

Don't really care for the pets in restaurants suggestion though, personally. Not everyone is a dog person (though we do seem firmly in the minority) and not everyone is comfortable with other people's animals being around their food.

Generally speaking, I don't think it would lead to a great crime wave to allow drinking in public in general. Our European friends employ this to great effect, we should try to be like them. Yeah some students might go a little overboard but they're adults and should be able to take responsibility for their actions.
 
Cobean said:
I like Fuku alot. Hopefully this and Milk Bar are a sign of things to come. I think a full fledged Momofuku restaurant would be a perfect fit for the retain portion of Parcel M1-M2. They are always packed in the CC DC location.
Click to expand...

Where is Milk Bar going?
 
cadetcarl said:
Don't really care for the pets in restaurants suggestion though, personally. Not everyone is a dog person (though we do seem firmly in the minority) and not everyone is comfortable with other people's animals being around their food.
Click to expand...

Currently, pets are not even allowed on outdoor patios in Boston. Some places flaunt the rules and allow them anyway, but that's not fair to the places that do follow the rules. From a public health perspective, wild animals and rodents already walk all over outdoor patios/tables/chairs etc and they're way less clean than domesticated animals, so keeping pets off doesn't make a lot of sense.

I'd support lifting the city-wide restriction on animals on patios and instead leaving it up to the restaurant. This is something the market should be able to handle. Without the city-wide restriction, some restaurants would allow animals and some wouldn't. Consumers could then act accordingly in line with their preferences. (And for the record, I'm not really a dog person either)

Keeping a restriction on animals inside establishments has a stronger public health standing.

Bos77 said:
outdoor drinking without requirement of having to eat shitty food
Click to expand...

This actually isn't quite a rule. Drinking without food isn't a distinction of indoor vs outdoor, it's one of private property vs public property. You only aren't allowed to drink outdoors without eating food on city property. On private property, you are. So a restaurant that owns/leases its own private space (indoors or outdoors) can serve alcohol without food; only a restaurant that leases sidewalk space from the City cannot.
 
JumboBuc said:
Keeping a restriction on animals inside establishments has a stronger public health standing.



This actually isn't quite a rule. Drinking without food isn't a distinction of indoor vs outdoor, it's one of private property vs public property. You only aren't allowed to drink outdoors without eating food on city property. On private property, you are. So a restaurant that owns/leases its own private space (indoors or outdoors) can serve alcohol without food; only a restaurant that leases sidewalk space from the City cannot.
Click to expand...

Be that as it may, it's still foolish that it's a requirement.
 
Back to the Old Navy, I jumped the gun on that, the company is seriously considering it but hasn't made a final decision. My bad.
 
The FDA food code, which most if not all states adopt, prohibits any non-service animals in restaurants. Outdoor seating is a gray area where states/localities take different approaches. I've found that most places around Boston have been pretty tolerant despite the official rules.
 
Shepard said:
Outdoor seating is a gray area where states/localities take different approaches. I've found that most places around Boston have been pretty tolerant despite the official rules.
Click to expand...

Boston specifically does not allow animals in outdoor seating areas, unless it is a permitted special event. Places in Boston that are "pretty tolerant" are breaking the rules.
 
mass88 said:
What are some of the things Boston could relax on?
Click to expand...
Bos77 said:
Closing hours of literally anything at night, outdoor drinking without requirement of having to eat shitty food, no dogs in restaurants, pubs, outdoor patios, etc. Happy Hour, anyone?

I'm not even a big drinker (most of the time), but find these little things to be grating annoyances - either from living or visiting other places where all this is non-issue - OR - having guests visit the city and being embarrassingly reprimanded at every corner.

The one thing Boston gets surprisingly right.. no measured pours. Suck on that UK, Canada, and Australia.
Click to expand...

Bos77 did a good job of mentioning areas where I think Massachusetts could definitely relax on. I think it would also be wise to relax on some of the permit/licensing for things like food trucks, since it seems quite obvious that placing such a financial burden on the proprietors is hurting that industry in the city. I also think there shouldn't be a limit on the number of liquor licenses in the state.
 
Last edited:
JumboBuc said:
Boston specifically does not allow animals in outdoor seating areas, unless it is a permitted special event. Places in Boston that are "pretty tolerant" are breaking the rules.
Click to expand...

And that's more my gripe with dogs. There are limits to where pets are appropriate, or not. London as an example, is very lenient, but has a common sense approach. A more formal dining room, or bakery with food out in the open is a no. The casual pub, pub garden, patio cafe, etc, it's shocking if there isn't a dog sleeping in the corner. Nobody in the UK is dying because of dogs around casual food service.

Another point of London; it's not just drinking at a pub outdoors, but even having a casual drink in a park. There is nothing better than a summer evening with a bottle of wine, or two, or three spent having a picnic or bbq with friends. Literally hundreds of people just chilling out. That would NEVER be allowed in Boston. Think of the children...
 
Bos77 said:
Another point of London; it's not just drinking at a pub outdoors, but even having a casual drink in a park. There is nothing better than a summer evening with a bottle of wine, or two, or three spent having a picnic or bbq with friends. Literally hundreds of people just chilling out. That would NEVER be allowed in Boston. Think of the children...
Click to expand...

This is Japan too. We are in the smack middle of cherry blossoms / hanami season in Tokyo, and anywhere there are some sakura or plum trees, you'll find a happy drinking party beneath, sitting on blankets and having a grand old time. Public land, middle of the day, doesn't matter. The children somehow manage to survive it too.

(that being said, I could do without the shitfaced salarymen puking on the subway platforms at 11:30 PM)
 
Bos77 said:
And that's more my gripe with dogs. There are limits to where pets are appropriate, or not. London as an example, is very lenient, but has a common sense approach. A more formal dining room, or bakery with food out in the open is a no. The casual pub, pub garden, patio cafe, etc, it's shocking if there isn't a dog sleeping in the corner. Nobody in the UK is dying because of dogs around casual food service.

Another point of London; it's not just drinking at a pub outdoors, but even having a casual drink in a park. There is nothing better than a summer evening with a bottle of wine, or two, or three spent having a picnic or bbq with friends. Literally hundreds of people just chilling out. That would NEVER be allowed in Boston. Think of the children...
Click to expand...

Public drinking laws need to be repealed. They really disproportionately target homeless people, and prevent outdoor gatherings that are commonplace in cities around the world.
 
coleslaw said:
Public drinking laws need to be repealed. They really disproportionately target homeless people, and prevent outdoor gatherings that are commonplace in cities around the world.
Click to expand...

I'm fine with public intoxication laws remaining in place (i.e. don't be a belligerent drunk in public) while repealing the ban on any public alcohol consumption. Let adults practice drinking in moderation and if they go too far then let them spend a night in the drunk tank.

Whether it's a hobo or a frat bro, I don't want belligerent, wasted people wandering around in public.
 
coleslaw said:
Public drinking laws need to be repealed. They really disproportionately target homeless people, and prevent outdoor gatherings that are commonplace in cities around the world.
Click to expand...

You're making it sound like there aren't already quite enough belligerent homeless people around.

Anyways, I'm in support of the idea of relaxing laws about outdoor drinking. I just wouldn't want drunkards and all the silly behavior (and property damage?) that could go along with it.
 
Bos77 said:
Another point of London; it's not just drinking at a pub outdoors, but even having a casual drink in a park. There is nothing better than a summer evening with a bottle of wine, or two, or three spent having a picnic or bbq with friends. Literally hundreds of people just chilling out. That would NEVER be allowed in Boston. Think of the children...
Click to expand...

Has anyone here ever had a problem with this? I haven't as long as it's within reason. Last 4th, a group of us grabbed a blanket, sat on the Comm. Ave Mall, had a couple of bottles of wine chilling in the open, and ate cheese and crackers before heading over to the Esplanade (where booze was explicitly not allowed) for the fireworks. No problem. A few police officers walked by, glanced our way, and kept walking.

I've also had a bottle of wine in the open with my girlfriend on Long Wharf on more occasion than one last summer and fall.

I am right there with you in terms of the "it should be legal" chorus, but I also don't know that law enforcement is really coming down on people with an iron fist. Especially if it's done respectfully. In each of these situations, the worst case I can imagine is a police officer telling us to put it away.
 
I remember going to the St Patties day parade a few years ago and the police were giving out tons of drinking tickets.
 
FenwayResident said:
I'm fine with public intoxication laws remaining in place (i.e. don't be a belligerent drunk in public) while repealing the ban on any public alcohol consumption. Let adults practice drinking in moderation and if they go too far then let them spend a night in the drunk tank.

Whether it's a hobo or a frat bro, I don't want belligerent, wasted people wandering around in public.
Click to expand...

Totally in favor of this less uptight common sense approach.

I don't see much difference between drinking too much in a bar and drinking too much in a public space. Being a belligerent asshole should be the crime, not where one chooses to have a drink.

Lrfox said:
Has anyone here ever had a problem with this? I haven't as long as it's within reason. Last 4th, a group of us grabbed a blanket, sat on the Comm. Ave Mall, had a couple of bottles of wine chilling in the open, and ate cheese and crackers before heading over to the Esplanade (where booze was explicitly not allowed) for the fireworks. No problem. A few police officers walked by, glanced our way, and kept walking.

I've also had a bottle of wine in the open with my girlfriend on Long Wharf on more occasion than one last summer and fall.

I am right there with you in terms of the "it should be legal" chorus, but I also don't know that law enforcement is really coming down on people with an iron fist. Especially if it's done respectfully. In each of these situations, the worst case I can imagine is a police officer telling us to put it away.
Click to expand...

I'd wager that what kind of trouble you get into is largely dependent on what you look like and the particular mood of the particular officer you are dealing with. That is the problem with selectively enforced laws.
 
Massachusetts should further relax rules on where alcoholic beverages are sold. Allow more convenience stores and grocery stores to sell alcohol.
 
tysmith95 said:
Massachusetts should further relax rules on where alcoholic beverages are sold. Allow more convenience stores and grocery stores to sell alcohol.
Click to expand...

I remember the first time I visited California I was shocked that CVS could sell hard liquor. Or in NYC, where you can get a beer with your slice of pizza. Won't anyone think of the children?!?!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top