##VIDEO ID:jwMrGJY7uyQ## good morning thank you all for joining we will give just a moment to clear the waiting room as a reminder when you are entering from the waiting room please do remain on mute unless or until you are providing testimony before the board they'll have some folks entering the waiting room so we'll give it just another moment to clear you guys American yeah good morning this is a hearing before the license ing board for the city of Boston today is Wednesday November 20th 2024 today's hearing is being held pursuant to Temporary amendments to the open meeting law that is what allows us to meet virtually today's hearing is being recorded and will be posted to the city of Boston's website before I review procedural matters I will introduce chairwoman of the board Kathleen Joyce good morning my name is Kathleen Joyce chair of the Boston licensing board today I'm joined by commissioner Liam Karin and commissioner Kiana Saxon thank you please ensure that your audio and visuals are working properly if you are presenting before the board this morning we'll call each item on the order that it appears on this morning's agenda I will then ask who is present on behalf of the applicant you'll make a brief presentation regarding your proposal followed by questions by the chair and Commissioners following questions there will be an opportunity for Testimony beginning with elected officials or their representatives for members of the general public to provide testimony please limit your testimony to two minutes and please state your name address and affiliation if any begin with the first item on this morning's agenda calling item number one Cantina Hospitality LLC doing business as Taco Bell located at 10 Maverick Square in East Boston has applied for a common VI license to be exercised on the above 1,770 Square ft on one floor featuring kiosks and a counter for ordering a window for pickup and seating for 10 in the front with the kitchen and restrooms located in the rear manager Louisa Maria aspina Vias hours of operation 8:00 am to 2 am. who's present on behalf of the applicant morning attorney green uh Steven Miller mcder quilty Miller and Hanley um morning Madame chair Commissioners Curran and Saxon um I have with me this morning uh attorney Tom Miller um Jim Rooney who's the head of uh Cantina Hospitality operations babo who senior VP of development facilities Israel Vega who's Regional director for Cantina Hospitality Nathan graph who's corporate Council and Bob madas who's Upland Architects who's the project architect uh we're before you this morning seeking approval for a CV license for a can't another Taco Bell um at 10 Maverick Square this would be um the fifth location for Cantina Hospitality in the Greater Boston area they currently have um a store at 872 kamav and another store which uh licensed by this board at 449 West Broadway in South Boston uh they have a third store on Harvard Street in coolage corner in brookln and they have the most recently opened store at 1222 kav in Boston licensed by this board The Proposal is for a small 1770 squ foot uh restaurant with 10 seats there's no TVs there's background music only uh I want to stress no alcohol was ever um contemplated for this location and nor will it be asked for there's no outdoor seating um I think the board is familiar with and I I we did send over um a full presentation uh detailing who Taco who Cantina hospitality is and um this project proposal but the um will'll employ at this location between 40 and 50 people there'll be um eight full-time managers and most at least half of the other people will be full-time the in in The Proposal you'll see that the uh we have a very strong benefits package for our full-time employees and also part-time employees um and we we provide them opportunities for um advancement we hire from within um and we ALS Al provide opportunities for them to continue their education we hire locally and um we've been very successful in uh hiring people from from the local area and with if this is approved we will have approximately 250 employees uh in Boston and and Brooklyn um the hours of operation um were asking for uh 800 a.m. to 2: a.m. um after some uh feedback and I'm sure you're going to hear quite a bit of feedback but after some feedback um we changed we originally were asking for 3:00 a.m. we uh changed our proposal to 8:00 a.m. till midnight in um inside and we would lock the doors uh Bob mad says designed a uh great system so at midnight we would lock the doors so there there would be no seating and we proposed being open till 2: a uh the rest of the night's for deliveries and Pickups um as part of part of the U what we've heard from some of the community members they're worried about trash and we've offered um and agreed to maintain to put outside and maintain a trash barrel um there was some concern from some of the other restaurants that have the trash barrel and they don't monitor it or empty it we've said that we would we would not do that I think one of the important things and I know you'll get to it Madam chair so I'll try and beat you a little bit to the punch is um we have a proprietory um delivery mobile ordering system that we've been using at are for existing locations all of those locations which the board is very familiar with West Broadway in South Boston is extremely congested and not only is it congested but we back up to a uh neighborhood uh coolage Corner couldn't be any more congested than that intersection and um the uh kame 872 K right near bu also backs up to the neighborhood but my most recent one um at 1222 Kev is at is in a residential building at the corner of Harvard and Commonwealth we have a proprietary delivery system which I will try to explain and then um maybe some of the rest of the team in response to any other questions you have but they have a proprietary delivery system that they use and the orders are placed online they're fulfilled and then the um drivers are notified as to like three minutes or four minutes before the order is ready um that they can come and pick it up and we maintain uh full-time staff to run those deliveries out to the um drivers or or the obviously any any other customers not necessarily all drivers that want to pick up their orders and we've used this system in South Boston and the other locations we've um been operating there for more than almost in South Boston for almost two years now we've never had one issue uh which I know the board's very familiar with that area and the congestion and the double parking that goes on we never had one issue with uh one complaint and I think that's you know the fact is Cantina hospitality is has 81 locations they are they um are very professional as I said they provide great benefits they hire people they do what they said uh we spent quite a bit of time before the South Boston location as you're aware and we made commitments to the community and we kept all those commitments and we've never had one complaint in fact if anything we've had um some of the people that were opposed to us are now uh some of our best customers U the Taco Bell and I've said this before at hearings in front of you that the Taco Bell of five or 10 years ago is not the Taco Bell today uh right now they have uh which is also in your your folder they have um certified vegetarian options they have 13 uh menu items that are certified vegetarian they also have 36 uh vegetarian items that can be added or subtracted or whatever to the various uh menus so and they Pride themselves on uh obviously keeping their their uh go-to items that have made Taco Bell a success but they've also Pride themselves on upgrading all their menus um over the years and now they have as I said certified vegetarian and U they could actually um have uh if you go in the anal they have vegan items uh the uh the Cantina Hospitality has had uh a his history of supporting local communities they support local sports um Youth Sports they they bring the kids in for meals they sport the teams and I think uh besides that they do scholarship Awards and allow their employees to um have uh tuition help and GED programs while they're working as I said they hire from within um and they promote from within um they hire from the community I'm sorry and promote from within um the uh we we did you'll see in the in u the presentation we try and uh tailor any of the locations we're doing now to the actual community and I think uh Brighton was the best example um with uh the all Rock mural inside South Boston we did very similar uh types of things we try and tailor it and and we will do the same thing if approve for this location finally um and I and I I know you have a a full agenda and I'll try and cut it as much as I can but um we we have we had an nut's meeting we met with the community group um didn't go very well um but um as far as you know and they have there certain representations and I'd like to respond after uh people people speak uh what we did was uh a uh a survey and there was an article there's there's a uh this is described in your in your uh what we sent you also there's is a um hyper Local website called they have coton southy but they also have a coton easty and um we don't control it you just ask for it and and they go ahead and whatever the results are are the results whether they're good or bad so they did an article on um Taco Bell looking for location in East Boston uh they put out a survey it was strictly an up or down survey are you in favor of it or you against it and um they kept it out for three days we didn't know when they were going to put it out um there was no advanced notice there was no anything on it and we received 83.9% favorability out of uh more than 200 responses um so that was one of the things that U certainly ly made Cantina Hospitality um want to proceed at um all due haste to to move into uh East Boston as I said we've we've the Lo every location we have is a uh congested traffic serious location we've never been in front of the board we've never received a violation or even a notice of a violation or a complaint from any of the community and they handle one of the things they do is they if there is any response they they know who to speak to at the stores um and if there's any any issues raised they they deal with them right away um I think at this point the uh as I said the the dining area at at midnight would be closed and it would be pickup only uh till 2 am and we did there were concerns about parking this is also in in the uh presentation we uh traffic and parking obviously is always a concern we hir the gold standard in the Boston area Howard Stein Hudson on the parking issue they did a study which is mentioned in in uh in the uh presentation but we can provide you with their actual study which said that uh in peak hours and this is based on all our other four locations in the Greater Boston area B Boston and Brook line at peak hours there is more than sufficient uh parking to handle the uh cars that are coming in for deliveries so with that Madam chair I'm sorry to take up all this time but um we spent a lot of time on this getting to this position and uh I'll turn it over to you for questions you and the Commissioners uh thank you for that um explanation I do have some questions um I I do have your letter in front of me that you wrote to the Maverick Central neighborhood association just some questions about some of the statements in there um how many you said it's a small number of people attend to the meeting do you know exactly how many or roughly well it was it was uh it was all online it was it was uh so there was there was a small there could have been a lot of people there was only a small number of people that spoke okay um we we had two people that wanted to speak um that wanted to come out actually one of the founders of the Maverick Central Association was trying to get in but was never able to get in and there was another uh former member of the board of Maverick Central that wanted to speak but was never able to speak so um the meeting was pretty much controlled by seven or eight people but um you know there were there were obviously other items on the agenda and several other PE there were a lot of other people that were were on okay and then the second to last paragraph your statement says the overriding theme from the small group of individuals was to protect the existing restaurants in the area can you speak a little bit about that about some of the comments that might have been shared at the meeting yes so um from the from the butters meeting on to um the the uh meeting we had with Maverick Central the overriding theme was protecting their local restaurants uh [Music] and despite us saying you know we've gone into four locations we've obviously gone into uh 8177 other locations in other states but we've never affected other restaurants so they felt because some of the restaurants um might have sell tacos also on their menu that this would this would uh damage those local restaurants we don't have alcohol we have 10 seats and we have a quick quick menu in and out um so to affect um the restaurants that have alcohol and our sitdown um this first of all it shouldn't shouldn't be an issue whether we have you know the competition is not really an issue but uh the fact is we will not affect the the uh local restaurants it's a totally different operation uh than than what they have okay and you did so you said you'd close the door at midnight where did the pickup drivers go to pick up their orders they they run them out they they run them out yeah they they on on all deliveries um we have dedicated Personnel that runs the uh deliveries out to the driver okay that's we closed the dining room off Madam chair just I'm sorry just to clear we Clos the dining room off so there's no seating um PE other people could actually come in and place an order on a kiosk but any deliveries are run out to people okay that's helpful um I don't have any other questions commissioner Karan or commissioner Saxon do you uh I'll wait for comments I thank you no questions at this time thank you thank you are there any individuals who would like to testify on this matter beginning with elected officials or their representatives yes Madam chair members of the board Conor Newman with the mayor's office of Neighborhood Services this time the mayor's offic defer to the Judgment of this board some back information in the community process as you heard from the applicant representation ons hosting a Butters meeting October 1st um we did hear concerns from the community um regarding you know is there a public need uh for fast food in this particular area uh concerns about trash double parking outside the establishment with delivery drivers uh noise into the evening um due to the hours of operation being proposed they went on to meet with Maverick Central where they articulated similar concerns I understand that that civic association will be voting tonight we be making that vote available to the board um as it happens um I don't have the exact count of of letters in opposition uh but everything that our office received has been forwarded to this board um and as also the applicant representation made reference to uh there was a public poll um on one of the local um news websites for East Boston um that information will defer to the board at this time thank you good morning Madame chair members of the board Sebastian from Council Coletta's office at this time the council respectfully requests that Cantina Hospitality receive a vote from the Maverick Central neighborhood association before moving forward with the proposal thank you thank you are there any other individuals who would like to testify on this matter uh Joseph Donovan 10 Maverick Square speaking uh representing the building owner to 10 Maverick Square uh this Madam chair board members this Transit oriented building is directly adjacent to the Maverick Square Blue Line Station which handles thousands of commuters on a daily basis our design team Incorporated the first floor retail space as an amenity for the building residents and the general public we began marketing the retail spaces during construction we envisioned a crick service Food Service uh Crick service food use in a coffee shop Cafe as the ideal combination to serve those who live and work in East Boston when we connected with the Cantina Hospitality team we were impressed by their experience professionalism and planned engagement with the community We Believe Cantina hospitality's proposed use is appropriate for this Transit oriented location and we support the application for the CV license thank you thank you very much are there any other individuals who would like to testify on this matter seeing on the board will take this under advisement thank you very much thank you thank you very much calling item number two PT opco LLC doing business as Pink Taco located at 374 Congress Street holder of a common victual or 7-Day alcoholic beverages license has petitioned to change the manager of the licensed business from John B to Sabrina Blaze attorney Caroline oconnell attorney oconnell good morning everybody I'm here on a fairly routine uh license manager change um with me Sabrina blae um Sabrina is a US citizen she's a resident of the Commonwealth she is familiar with the rules of the city of Boston and abcc and she has been in the alcohol industry since 2006 first at um Joe's American and she's been an assistant general manager at ptco since 2019 thank you attorney um thank you for joining us miss Blaze I have no questions at this time commissioner Karin or commissioner Saxon I have no questions thank you none from me thank you thank you are there any individuals who would like to testify on this matter seeing n the board will take us under advisement thank you very much thank you following item number three Museum of Fine Arts doing business as Museum of Fine Arts located at 465 Huntington a holder of a common vict or 7-Day all alcoholic beverages license has petitioned to change the manager of the licens business from Eric Woods to Katherine venil uh who is present on behalf of the applicant hi this is Katie Van denil Katherine vanen I'm the Chief Financial Officer of the MFA and I'm here on behalf uh Eric Woods who's the former coo has departed so we're changing the manager to my name uh thank you for joining us um are you a citizen yes are you a resident in Massachusetts yes do you have experience in the food and beverage industry I am gaining experience we do have a vendor restaurant Associates on on site who has been our partner for for many years and who is responsible for the managing administration of all of our restaurant and food here and they they will be recording to me now okay you'll ultimately be responsible for the alcohol sales and yes yeah um are you familiar with the rules and regulations of this board the abcc and the laws Commonwealth pertaining to the sale and service of alcohol yes just reviewed that thank you I have no questions commissioner car and commissioner Saxon I have no questions thank you none from me thank you thank you are there any individuals who would like to testify on this matter seeing n the board will take this matter under advisement as well thank you very much thank you thank you I just received a message from attorney Conway that an applicant for something later on this agenda is currently sitting in an airport with a flight about to take off so we will be taking item number 15 out of order uh to make sure that we're able to hear it so calling item number 15 out of order one Family Diner Inc doing business as one Family Diner located at 260 Bowden Street in Dorchester has applied for a common VI or 7-Day wines and M beverages licens to be exercised on the above in one by level room on first floor consisting of 2,154 square ft with 74 seats including six counter stools kitchen running the length on the left side bathrooms in rear and basement for storage manager Rachel Silvera Closing Time 11 pm attorney Carolyn Conway attorney Conway thank you attorney green members of the board thank you very much uh for taking us out of order I have with me today Miss uh Rachel Silvera who is one of the owners of one Family Diner and also the proposed manager of record um Miss uh Sila and her husband uh purchased the one Family Diner in 2024 from her mother who ran the diner uh for over 10 years the site has been the site of a diner for many decades it currently serves breakfast and lunch the proposed uh need for the uh alcohol license is that the diner would like to add beer and wine so that they could gradually expand its offerings to the neighborhood they propos to add uh brunch to the neighborhood they're going to expand their lunch menu and hopefully go uh go into dinner the food specializes in the cuisine of Trinidad and has long long been a uh as Staple in the neighborhood the uh Seas also own the building at this point we have gotten grants from the city of Boston we are doing work on the outside it has a small parking lot in the re in the rear and we want to continue on we have appeared before the meet um Meeting House Hill neighborhood association we have also appeared before the Greater Boston Geneva neighborhood association and had a and a Butters meeting and have also received support from the neighborhood Who looking forward to the Silvera uh operating the restaurant has 74 seats with six bar stools 86 capacity none of that will change and we hope to as the uh business builds to uh maybe do some Cosmetics on the inside but right now we were we are concentrating on both the building and the inside of the premises uh we believe that we are a perfect candidate for one of the new neighborhood licenses as we are an integral part of the neighborhood and we were looking forward to serving them for the decades to come Miss svera as I said has been uh working at the restaurant with her M her mother for many years she is a citizen of the United States she is a resident of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and is also familiar with the rules and regulations of this board and the alcoholic beverages Control Commission with respect to the sale and service of alcoholic beverages as I said we're looking forward to expanding on the food from Trinidad which is delicious and to continue to serve the neighborhood thank you um thank you is Miss Sila here yes oh hi thanks sorry uh I'm just taking a look at the menu and uh your attorney described it as Trinidad Cuisine um can you talk to me a little bit about that it looks right now like American Cuisine yes so we do American breakfast right now um we've been doing that for over 40 years um it's been on the family for over 30 plus years um but we're trying to expand a little bit uh where we can go into to Trinidadian food which is Caribbean food so it's going to be like Curry um style food or um just different dishes uh because we do have a a very big population of Caribbean in in in Dorchester area um so we do sell a couple items right now as the bacon saw fish um it's something that we sell a lot of right now um so we just want to bring in some more tradan traditional style in the area and the beer and wine license will complement that yes so the beer and wine is more for the Trinidadian style dishes um we have Trinidad has a variety of different uh type of beers and one that we would like to bring in as well as what we have here um as well to to kind of give it a flavor to the dishes okay have you thought through what percentage of your offerings will be American traditional we wouldn't we would keep the American breakfast as is we wouldn't change we do have a lot of customers regulars that would not change if um if we do get approv it would be where we would we close at 2 o'clock where American breakfast is done at 2 o' that's where we would go ahead from three on um where we would open up for dinner um we do have a little bit of lunch specials as well um but it would more focus on more dinner style um dishes okay uh thank you uh commissioner car commissioner Saxon do you have any questions not at this time thank you no questions thank you thank you very much are there any individuals who would like to testify on this matter beginning with elected officials or their representatives yes Madam chair members of the board Conor Newman with the mayor's office of Neighborhood Services this time the mayor's officer did defer to the Judgment of this board some back information on the community process ons hosting a Butter's meeting on October 30th um it was lightly attended those in attendance were uh supportive of The Proposal uh the applicant then went on to meet with the greater bow and Geneva neighborhood association as well as Meeting House Hill um both Civics were in support I understand run aware of any concerns at this time thank you hello Madam chair members of the board lamry Miss councel Fitz sherald's office OB would like you on record and support of this proposal thank you thank you are there any other individuals who would like to testify on this matter seeing on the board will take this under advisement as well thank you very much thank you again for taking this thank you very much sure no worries have a safe late thank you uh going back to the order of this morning's agenda calling item number four East Boston Yacht Club Inc located at zero Rice Street in East Boston holder of a club all alcoholic beverages license has petitioned to change the manager of the license business from Anthony Mason to John P Lloyd uh and secondly has also petitioned for a change of officers directors who is present on behalf of the applicant yes my name is John Lloyd um here on representing this blon yach club I live at 21b uncus Road in bler Massachusetts um that's it for me you have questions oh thanks thanks for joining us Mr Lloyd um are you a citizen yes do you have experience in the food and beverage industry yes I do and are you familiar with the rules and regulations of this board the abcc and the laws of the Commonwealth pertaining to the sale and service of alcohol yes I do um so other than the change of manager and the officers and director's change are there any other operational changes no that's it okay commissioner car commissioner Saxon do you have any questions I do not thank you no questions thank you thank you are there any individuals who would like to testify on this matter board will take this under advisement as well thank you very much thank you following item number five BCP Beach TRS LLC doing business as morisy Hall located at 135 William T Mory Boulevard in Dorchester holder of a common VI or 7-Day all alcoholic beverages license has petitioned for a change of officers who's present on behalf of the applicant hello uh key Le here in Jill Hyde on behalf of BCP btrs LLC um our current Treasurer has left uh Todd's link uh we'd like to update that officer to uh Nathan Adams who is a current resident of Massachusetts and a US [Music] citizen thank you very much for joining us um are there any operational changes with this license no thanks uh commissioner car commissioner Saxon do you have any questions I do not thank you none from me thank you thank you are there any individuals who would like to testify on this matter board will take this under advisement thank you for being with us this morning thank you calling items six seven8 and nine night shift Lovejoy LLC doing business as night shift Brewing located at one Lovejoy Warf holder of a 19 C farmer Brewery pouring license a 19B farmer Winery pouring license a 19e farmer Distillery pouring license and a 19h combined Winery uh malt and Distillery pouring license as petition to change the manager of all three from from all four Excuse Me from Michael omea to Jack hendler has petitioned for a change of officers directors and has petitioned for a change in stock interest on all four licenses Who present on behalf of the applicant morning attorney green Madame chair Commissioners my name is Tyler hler from Upton canel and Devin on behalf of Night Shift love joy LLC joining me from night shift is michae om Mara uh one of the current owners and the manager of record as well as Jack hendler the proposed new manager of record so the owners of Jack's ABY Brewery are purchasing 100% of the stock in night shift Lovejoy llc's parent company Night Shift Brewery Inc and as such we've applied for the transfer of stock uh and change of officers and directors and the change of manager on each of the four pouring licenses at the one love joy War location that's the farmer Brewery pouring farmer Winery pouring farmer Distillery pouring and the 19h farmer series poring the resulting 100% sole shareholder of the lenes parent company uh will be the hendler family Brewing Company uh that company's owned 33% each by the hendler brothers that's Jack Eric and Sam the founders of Jax ABY and 1% by their father Paul hendler uh we're also replacing Micha om Mar as the manager of record to replace him we have Jack hendler who is a Massachusetts resident a US citizen though I understand that might not be a requirement anymore uh he's familiar with the rules and regulations related to the sale and service of alcohol of this board uh the abcc and the laws of the Commonwealth and he has experience in the industry as he is a founder of Jack Abbey uh and currently serves as the head Brewer and chief production officer of Jack's Abbey craft loggers the headline of this transaction I'll I'll conclude with uh is even though it's changing hands nothing is expected to be changing at the Boston Tap Room customer Tap Room experience should remain the same before and after this transaction with that I'm happy to take any questions thank you for your time thank you attorney thanks for joining us Mr hendler um I don't think I have any questions commissioner K and commissioner Saxon I do not thank you me thank you thank you are there any individuals who would like to testify on these matters items 6 through n board will take these under advisement as well thank you very much thank you following item number 10 M andk Restaurant Group LLC doing business as blasi Cafe located at 70 762 Adam Street in Dorchester holder of a common victual or 7-Day wines and M bever with the cor's license has petitioned to change the manager of the license business from Kenneth blasy to Maria blasi secondly has petition for a change of officers directors LLC managers and lastly has petition for a change of ownership interest attorney Ryan Spitz attorney Spitz great thank you attorney green Madame chair Commissioners Ryan Spitz with Adams and Mory I the business address with 168 8th Street first floor South Boston um I am here today with the applicant Maria blasy for a change of manager change of LLC manager in the ownership interest I am sure you're all aware of the tragic passing of her husband Kenneth blasy hence the reason why we are here today for these changes Miss blasi is a United States citizen resident of the Commonwealth who is familiar with the rules and regulations of this board in the abcc pertaining to the sales and service of alcohol and also has extensive experience in the food and beverage industry um at this point I'm going to turn it back over to you madam chair for any questions thank you attorney thank you for joining us Mrs bosy um I actually have no questions um Commissioner Karen or commissioner Saxon I no questions as well thank you none for me thank you thank you very much are there any individuals who would like to testify on this matter board will take this under advisement as well thank you great thank you following item number 11 667 East Broadway Inc doing business as the Paramount located at 667 East Broadway in South Boston holder of a common VI or 7day wines and M beverages license his petition to change the manager of the license business from Gabriel Chung to Ashling MC green and secondly as petition to change the classification of its license to a wines and M beverages with Lor's license pursuant to the authority contained in chapter 481 of the acts of 1993 who's present on behalf of the applicant uh ashon green the manager of the Paramount and Joe Green the owner is also here good morning good morning thank you for joining us um Miss green um you'll be the new manager of record uh yes and I'm a citizen I'm a resident of Commonwealth I have experience and I am aware of the regulations so great um what is your experience in the food and beverage industry I've actually worked in the parmount in westom Center for 10 years and then uh prior to that I was in New York working for two years okay um and then the can you describe for me the need for the change of of adding lurs uh right now we just have beer and wine so we're just looking to kind of elevate some of our drink options uh nothing crazy we're not looking to turn into a bar it's more just offering a couple different drink options for our customers um just to kind of keep relevant and help with profitability great thanks very much commissioner K commissioner Saxon do you have any questions I do not thank you none from me thank you thank you are there any individuals would like to testify on this matter beginning with elected officials or their representatives yes Madam chair members of the board Connor Newman with the mayor's office of Neighborhood Services this time the mayor's office to defer to the Judgment of this board some back information in the community process on at hosting a Butters meeting on October 23rd understand there was no serious concerns raised uh the applicant reached out to the Friends of Friends north of Broadway as well as Gate of Heaven uh civic association uh Gate of Heaven was supportive of this proposal with that defer to the board at this time thank you good morning attorney green good morning madam here and members of the board um my name is Melissa low and I'm I'm representing on behalf of councelor and Flynn's office we would like to go on record in support of the Paramount thank you very much thank you Melissa are there any other individuals who would like to testify on this matter board will take this under advisement as well thank you thank Youk you thank you very much following item number 12 Causeway Union LLC located at 17 Union Street holder of a common or 7-Day all alcoholic beverages license has petitioned to transfer the license business from the above to crg license Holdings to llc at the same location Ernestine rathborne manager 2 am closing hour attorney Adam barnoski attorney barnoski thank you attorney green good morning Madam chair members of the board Adam barnoski 255 State Street in Boston I'm here on behalf of crg license Holdings to LLC also in attendance with me today is Sasha Nissen bom who manages the real estate Hospitality portfolio for crg we are here regarding the same location license transfer from Causeway Union LLC uh the business closed its operations uh earlier this year and entered into an agreement to transfer the license back to the property owner through the applicant entity uh this is a special purpose entity form for the sole purpose of holding the license on a temporary basis while the new restaurant operator is secured The leny Entity is an affiliate of the property owner through crg bblock LLC uh miss rathborne the sole owner of both entities and the proposed manager of record had an unanticipated conflict arise for this morning and was unable to attend today uh but has been previously approved by this board in the abcc as the manager of record on the liquor license with no violations she is aware of the local and state rules on alcoholic beverage service she's a United States citizen a Massachusetts resident and above the age of 21 and while she is listed uh as the manager of record here it should be noted that the license holding company does not intend to activate uh the license during the course of ownership the affiliate property owner which has been actively marketing this space for a new restaurant operator is currently negotiating a letter of intent with an experienced local food focused restaurant it is the intent of the leny to transfer uh this license to a successor tenant subject to the approval of this board or in the event that the new tenant has a license uh or acquires its own license we would then transfer it out in conjunction uh with bringing in the new license so um the the transfer before you today is is is really a matter of mechanics and it's an integral component to the rebranding of this historic Blackstone block um with the LOI under negotiation now we do hope to have a lease finalized in the next few months and to be back before this board uh and uh in the in the meantime we're happy to answer any questions that you may have uh thanks um and thank you for notifying us last night about Miss rathborne um unavailability I'm comfortable with that since she's been previously approved so um the current license holder is no longer involved in any way is that correct that is correct and the landlord is purchasing license yes correct well the landlord through a related entity a related entity okay and um to my understanding the proceeds from the sale are going to the victim's family yes that that is that is correct the the applicant's part of a a three-party agreement with the estate of of Daniel Martinez and uh Causeway Union um and while the primary focus of that agreement relates to the settlement between the state in the restaurant um our client the ly the applicant here has agreed uh that all the proceeds or the net proceeds of that sale will go to the estate as part of that settlement okay and you're currently have a letter of int 10 for another lensey to come in uh I don't want to say that we currently have one but we are in negotiations uh to finalize one correct all right I have no questions at this time commissioner car commissioner saon I have no additional questions at the moment thank you none from me thank you thank you are there any individuals who would like to testify on this matter beginning with elected officials or their representatives are there any other individuals who would like to testify on this matter board will take this under advisement as well thank you very much thank you calling item number 13 Korean Fusion Inc doing business as koi located at 16 16 to 18 North Street holder of a common victual or 7-Day all alcoholic beverages license has petitioned to transfer the license and the location from the above to swingers boss LLC doing business as swingers located at 777 Boyston Street premise consists of on ground floor containing front entry vestibule from Boon Street hallway and two stairways to Upper levels on second floor with seating for 213 patrons containing Reception Area dining room Clubhouse bar food court mini golf course kitchen offices storage areas and restrooms on third floor with seating for 157 patrons containing two dining rooms private dining room bar area mini golf course carnival game room prep areas storage areas and restrooms 370 total seats one main entrance and five exits 24,1 153 total square feet Bruno Marini manager 2 am. closing hour Attorney John AA attorney AA good morning thank you attorney green Madam chair members of the board John up M Mill and Hanley 28 state stre Boston on behalf of the applicant Springer's boss LLC joining me is Bruno Marini the proposed manager of record um swingers is purchasing the alcohol license and moving it to 777 boilson Street there's access on the ground floor but the license premise um will PR primarily consist and Encompass the second and third floors uh this space uh formerly hous The Crate and Barrel retail store um and uh swingers itself it's a unique and fun concept it's originating uh in the United Kingdom sangers combines mini golf which they call crazy golf with food and beverage um they there are inventive course layouts and a theme that's styled after 1920s English Countryside all combined with a carnival atmosphere they will also feature oldfashioned and nostalgic arcade games swingers has several locations both the United Kingdom and the US presently there are two locations in London uh they are also open in Washington DC New York City and most recently uh in Las Vegas um this endeavor is a partnership between swingers UK and Tavistock restaurant collection uh who this boy knows uh to be experienced in well respected operators uh conveniently Tavo operates restaurants on either side of the space uh you have a and Louise on one side and Atlantic Fish Company on the other um in addition to being a unique and uh unique entertainment venue on the food and beverage side there will be delicious street food um and signature cocktails premium Spirits Spar and wine to complement the experience the majority of the business will come from pre-booked events and functions uh they are usually corporate or private events um that is their main staple uh generally you book a tea time in advance and reserve your space typically customers are there for approximately two hours um the peak hours are generally the after workor hours um but the upside is that due to the reservation system um the patrons are spread out over the course of the day uh in the evening so there's never an issue with capacity or people needing to que up along the sidewalk um uh at all uh there is Security on site at all times U as well as training staff um heading that up uh would be Bruno Marini um as I mentioned is the proposed manager of record Bruno comes from the Tavistock side he is current director of operations for Tavistock restaurant collection he has over 25 years experience in the restaurant and hospitality industry he's a former general manager of food and beverage at the yoy Hotel former coo and wine director at Sho Waterfront and he is a former manager of Rog Alat uh several several years ago at Ambrosia on Huntington um so with that he is a US citizen Mass resident U familiar with the rules and regulations of the board the abcc and the laws of Commonwealth as it pertains to sale and service of alcohol uh in addition Bruno is tip certified and all staff will be similarly certified um speaking to public need I believe there is public need for this type of uh operation at this location uh it's a unique and fun concept not presently existing in the neighborhood uh there is demand for an alternative entertainment V with food and beverage service including alcohol U they have swingers itself has been um proven successful at their other locations and I think this will be a great addition to the neighborhood and we'll vitalize the empty space um that was there after the last 10 in left um we've had favorable Butters meeting and community outreach uh and both bro and myself are available if you have any questions thank you when is your anticipated opening date yep so they are shooting for likely September 2025 or fall of 2025 okay uh thank you I don't have any other questions commissioner car or commissioner Saxon I have no questions thank you for me thank you thank you are there any individuals who would like to testify in this matter beginning with elected officials or their representatives yes Madam chair members of the board Conor Newman with the mayor's office of neighborhood services at this time the mayor's office would like to defer to the Judgment of this board our office unaware of any concerns uh none arose during the time of the community process uh they were in contact with the neighborhood association of Back Bay uh which offered a letter of non opposition uh with that would deferred to the board at this time thank you good morning Madam chair members of the board uh my name is Tony and I'll be reading the following statement on behalf of councel Sharon Durkin um we all knew this was coming since you can't gol without alcohol apparently in all seriousness I supported this Venture at the zoning board and I hope it is approved by this board as well Back Bay needs more fun thank you thank you are there any other individuals who would like to testify on this matter board will take this under advisement as well thank you thank you following item number 14 HSI P he boss FB L LC doing business as Shake Shack cc2 a56 located at Logan Airport Terminal C in East Boston has applied for an airport common vit or 7-Day all alcoholic beverages license to be exercised on the above the Shake Shack will be a single story restaurant of 2981 sare ft with no outside space located at space number cc2 a56 in terminal C at Boston Logan International Airport space is two large rooms which consists of a front of house dining area with tables and chairs and a back of house area for kitchen prep storage and Refrigeration the dining area contains 65 seats including tables and chairs a Tron the south and east walls surrounding the service area counter which is in the middle of the dining area the back of house area is located directly behind the service counter and runs along the western wall and includes two walk-in coolers located at opposite ends of the kitchen manager Douglas Rune Closing Time 11: p.m. attorney Trish fernworth attorney fernworth good morning thank you attorney green good morning Madame chair Commissioners attorney Trish Farnsworth with Lawson and Whitson in Boston and with me is Douglas Rune the proposed manager um this is a unit an additional new unit over at Logan Airport in terminal C um HSI is HMS host and HMS host as you know is a nationwide Food Service Company they're in 120 different airports and I think they have five licenses currently over at Logan and this will be their six um and Mr run is the manager on the other licenses he's been approved by you all previously um but these are all located in terminal B andc so he is um you know at all the units all the time so with that if you have any other questions or for myself or Mr rench thank you thank you for joining us I don't have any questions at this time commissioner car commissioner Saxon I have no questions thank none for me thank you thank you are there any individual would like to testify in this matter seeing down the board will take this under advisement thank you very much thank item 15 Was Heard earlier in this hearing calling item number 16 Crystal spoons LLC located at 1950 Washington Street in Roxberry has applied for a common vit or 7-Day all alcoholic beverages license to be exercised on the above 3,670 ft full surface restaurant on two floors with two entrances and five egg basement consists of a kitchen bathroom Cold Storage dry storage and a small office the first floor consists of a bar with seating for approximately 25 dining area with seating for approximately 114 live entertainment space front desk area a small dining room with seating for approximately 10 and three bathrooms manager civas desan Closing Time 2 a.m. who is present on behalf of the applicant uh good morning respected Madam chair and board members uh I'm Shas I'm a US citizen and resident of massach and I'm the you know manager alcohol manager at the Crystal spoons located at 1950 Washington State in Boston MA um and then I know the regulations of the abcc board you know regulations I've been in this business more than a decade um I've been as an you know um alcoholic manager uh looking over everything you know from you serving the alcohol storage all those things regarding for restaurant um then um is the restaurant has dedicated bar that can accommodate 26 seatings total seating capacity of the restaurant is 120 there are three bathrooms the complete rest in floor plan is around 3,700 Square ft um the proposed hours as you said it's going to be Monday through Sunday uh 10:00 a.m. to uh 1 a so do you have any questions um thank you very much thank you for um describing your experience as a manager um so tell me a little bit more about this concept this is a brand new restaurant correct yes yes so we have one more restaurant in in Norwood that's like you know a regular restaurant like a regular in restaurant so we want to do upscale so we are trying to do a fine dining uh rather than having just regular restaurants right you know typical restaurants so this is a you know um highend U basically a highend Indian restaurant uh which is highly upscale with you know the menu and everything so so you want something better like something like you know kind of three or four star hotel ra like restaurant rather than like the typical Indian restaurants that you know usually you go you know the buffet or all those things right so we want to little bit U upscale and it will be Indian food you said yes yes there's no upscale restaurant like if you want to do have a dining experience right you don't have uh you know upscale like when you come in the seating the arrangements all those things the lighting the menu and like you know the ambience so usually when you go I know you might have gone you know that typical you know you sit and you just order and then you know a typical Resturant R rather than like you know upscale so that's what we're trying to Target is give some you know style for it okay thank you very much um you've answered all of my questions um commissioner K commissioner Saxon I have no questions at this time thank you thank you are there any individuals who would like to testify on this matter beginning with elected officials or their representatives yes Madam chair members of the board Connor Newman with the mayor's office of Neighborhood Services this time the mayor's office is deferred to the Judgment this board our office host in the butters meeting on May 21st uh it was lightly attended but those in attendance uh spoke in support of the proposal and expressed excitement that they were coming to the neighborhood um the applicant was able to connect with the civic association as well our office is unaware of any concerns at this time thank you thank you are there any other individuals who would like to testify on this matter yes uh Albert Costa I'm the architect for the project and I just want to say that these this family medu and his Ms and Dr desti have a restaurant in Norwood and which I visited many times and that restaurant is high-end run in a very healthy and clean environment I've never seen such people take care of what they do with the business they want to make a beautiful restaurant which is almost to fruition right now in the city of auson a high-end topnotch beautiful restaurant that they have worked so hard to put together and I've been working with them for over a year I'm right involved with them but this is almost to fruition right now it's a beautiful restaurant and I have to give them a lot of credit for what they're doing thank you for uh your testimony Mr Costa are there any other individuals who would like to testify on this matter board will take this under advisement as well thank you very much calling item number 1785 Harvard AV LLC doing business as tofu story located at 85 Harbor AV Alon has applied for a common victual or 7-Day all alcoholic beverages license to be exercised on the above in one large room on ground floor comprised of dining areas with approximately 60 seats kitchen prep area and restrooms in rear basement for storage 274 ft² total one entrance and two exits manager Jin Chong Closing Time 2 am attorney Dennis quilty attorney quilty good morning attorney green Madam chair members of the board Dennis quilty attorney representing the applicant uh with me this morning is Jin Chong the proposed manager of recer and I believe his business partner Benny Quang as well as with us excuse me um this is an application for a new while alcohol license for this location um just a bit of History the location um in the past operate under the title Cal barbecue operated by an entity known as Panda Legends Inc which held a beer and wine license at this location uh with a midnight closing hour and uh that license uh they failed to renew it in 20124 uh when that operator vacated the restaurant so the license the premises is presently operating as a CV only um and is applying before this board for the allowance of a new alcohol license uh to take the place of the license which previously existed at this site uh by way of public need I would suggest as the as the name of the business suggests this is a tofu uh Central uh restaurant operation one of the few of its kind uh we'd submit anywhere in the city or the region um Mr Chong is a uh excuse me re American um has operated other establishments in the city is I believe An approved manager of record elsewhere um and um we have met with in regard to this application the alustin civic association uh we had a very positive meeting with them I do not know whether they have written to the board with their decision but it was a very positive meeting and we also held a on of Butters meeting at which there was no objections raised um and we are certainly happy to take your questions here today and Mr Mr Chong I believe as I suggest that is a An approved manager but in any event he is a US citizen uh he is a Mass resident and he is quite familiar with the rules and regulations of the board and the ABC uh as he owns and operates other establishments in the city presently uh thank you very much thank you very much um at this time I have no questions commissioner car the commissioner Saxon I have no questions at this time as well thank you none for me thank you thank you are there any individuals who would like to testify on this matter beginning with elected officials or their representatives yes madame chair members of the board Connor Newman with the mayor's office of neighborhood services at this time the mayor's office defer to the Judgment of this board as you heard from the applicant representation our office conducting a Butters meeting October 21st there were no concerns raised they went on to meet with the Allon civic association which I understand is uh supportive um as I mentioned unaware of any concerns at this time thank you thanor thank you are there any other individuals who would like to testify on this matter board will take this under advisement in that case thank you thank you calling item number 18 204 Handover Corp doing business as North End Lobster Co located at 206 Handover Street has applied for a common victual 7-Day alcoholic beverages license to be exercised on the above approximately 900 sare ft in one room on ground floor with one entrance and two exits dining area with approximately 20 seats and bar with approximately 15 seats kitchen and restroom in the rear basement for storage and prep area with additional restroom manager Adriana Yana Travelon Closing Time 1:00 am attorney Dennis quilty attorney quilty good morning again attorney green Madam chair members of the board once again Dennis quilty attorney representing the applicant before for you this morning requesting uh a new CV 7day all out license for this location excuse me I'm sorry um this is a very interesting proposal I I I would suggest to you that uh the public need here uh arises in a couple of different ways um number one this uh site is a presently vacant totally underutilized location at the very top of hover Street at at the intersection of cross street which I think the board would agree is the actual gateway to the North End um immediately around the corner um a new application for uh buildings that stretch from Cross Street all the way over to um um Jesus I'm my my street names um in any event the new Development Across cross street which will be uh commercial and restaurant at that location uh I think along with this building become that new entryway if you will Mr travone and his wife Adriana who were with us here this morning uh purchased the building again it was vacant uh the the space in question was We Believe last operated as a jewelry store it was some kind of commercial or retail use it's been vacant for quite some time uh the previous a previous applicant for this site uh sought zoning relief to convert that space to a restaurant that application was filed and never um followed through on if you will when Mr travion and his wife bought the building they resuscitated that application and we appear before the zoning board of appeals next Tuesday morning for the um approval of the change from commercial or retail to restaurant uh this that application so the board knows where we are in the process is fully support orted by nura and nunik we have no objections that we're aware of to the zoning change and again that hearing will be held next Tuesday um certainly if the board were to withhold its vote well these votes are not going to be heard until after December anyway so by that time the zoning will be in place um in any event as you can imagine with all of this and the uh building also includes the renovation of uh empty uh residential space above the restaurant space uh to four new residential units the board can only imagine the amount of resources it takes to purchase and renovate and reone a building such as this which we hope in the end becomes Again part of this new gateway to the north end so it's a a long way of saying we believe that this is a uh a real serious um uh act on the part of the tra leonis to expend a great deal of money to make this the Gateway uh their restaurant operation we think will be different from many of the other uh folks uh presently operating in the neighborhood and seeking licenses in that it's as its name indicates will have a primary focus on seafood and with an Italian flare but Seafood nevertheless um and again uh we we we would ask you for your consideration uh that in consideration of the uh great amount of resources it takes to renovate and make this building the the uh the Gateway gem that it should be um places them in a in a a good situation if you will to be granted one of the new licenses for their operations at this site and with that we did meet with nunik had their full support we met with newer with no support with with their non- opposition and we had an on sub Butters meeting on October 23rd with no uh opposition or aware of um M KRA Leone is a present manager of record approved by this board and she is the proposed manager of record for this location as well and with that uh we are happy to take any of your questions thank you very much a thank you thanks for joining us can you just speak to you were before us recently for beer and you purchased a beer and wine license correct we I think that was yeah I'm a little bit confused I think was their other location okay is is there a be wine license here I yes oh no I'm sorry I'm sorry yes my mistake I apologize yes it was a beer and wine uh approved uh in July of 2024 yes the restaurant is not open right July 2024 you purchased a beer and wine license yes so having not opened yet can you describe for me you know the need to apply for an all alcohol license and what are you going to do with this wine license that you purchased in July and haven't used yet and uh is is Richard with us Adria uh no Richard is not okay unfortunately he was not able to attend okay all right so with regard to the application so clearly the beer and wine license will have to be dealt with I know in the past the board has asked uh applicants if they intend to return the license in uh to the to the board I would uh uh I would just I would have to ask the operators what their position is in that regard we understand that that is something that the board would take into consideration um again I mean as the board knows I mean this is a perhaps once in A- lifetime opportunity for operators to apply for at the very least one of the new licenses which have been available made available Citywide um we understand the board has um had a deadline of December 6 for these applications we're just anxious to get this application before you in that regard and I would be happy to write to the board with an answer and a Mr TR I think is traveling I would like to have the two of them make that determination so that I can provide a letter to the board with regard to their plans with the beer wine license that would be helpful well well well before December 6th that would be helpful yes ma' we yeah sorry I I I blew that up no that's fine um so I I guess I have no questions um again we it's my I don't believe we plan on issuing all 12 of these after December 6 um oh I understand I we just wanted to get it in yeah it just said we have we just approved the transfer of the beer and wine a couple months ago so curious you know what has changed because um that was purchased so we'll wait for correspondence umiss car commissioner Saxon do you have any questions not at this time thank you no questions thank you thank you thank you with that are there any individuals who would like to testify on this matter beginning with elected officials or their representatives yes madame chair members of the board Conor Newman with the mayor's office of Neighborhood Services this time the mayor's office defer to the Judgment of this board our office H in a Butter's meeting on September 25th uh no concerns were raised they went on to meet with uh nura and nck I understand both Civics were supportive uh but that will defer to the board at this time thank you thank you are there any other individuals who would like to testify on this matter board will take this under advisement as well thank you thank you and calling item number 19 W Entertainment Group Inc doing business as Viva karaoke and studios located at 204 Tremont Street has applied for a common victual or 7-Day all alcoholic beverages license to be exercised on the above ground floor including restaurant approximately 11,740 ft total with performance area stage and tables with approximately 30 seats lounge with seating for approximately seven patrons and bar with 11 seats 23 individual karaoke rooms together with kitchen service bar storage office space and restrooms the building has entrances and exits at the front rear and side manager Henry Wong Closing Time 2 am and attorney quilty once again attorney quilty thank you thank you again attorney green Madam chair members of the board once again Dennis quilty uh attorney representing the applicant uh with me this morning is Henry Wong who's the owner and manager of record this is the um location of Mr Wong has has owned and operated for many years previously had done business under the trade name Limelight the new proposed trade name is Viva karaoke and Studios this is a an extremely popular uh karaoke establishment with very limited if any issues with this board entertainment division Boston police Etc Mr Wong has run and a very very very well-run business at this location for a long time um the application again is to um add or rather to to ask for a new all alcohol license to replace the existing beer wine and cordials license at this location um Mr um Wong is a Chinese American owner uh he again I said suggested operates a very very wellth thought of well-run business at this location it's one of the few of its kind in the city interestingly enough um and we think adds a great deal to the entertainment options for people in and around the the downtown Cedar District Chinatown and generally speaking the downtown neighborhoods um we have met with the uh and got the support of the Chinatown Business Association Chinatown neighborhood Council uh the downtown residents which formerly was the mpna as well I think they've merged those two organizations we met with them quite recently and I believe they have issued a letter of support or non- opposition um and uh again the the application here is to request one of the new all alcohol licenses we think it's a viable um application for this almost one-of-a-kind location um which deals with a very diverse clientele and uh again has done so in a way with absolutely limited issues or violations or concerns by the Boston police or the licensing authorities yourselves um Mr um Wong is an approved manager of record and he is a uh in any event a US citizen Mass resident and very familiar with the rules of RS of the board in the abcc with regard to the sale and service of alcohol and we are happy to take any of your questions thank you thank you thank you for joining us Mr Wong I have no questions commissioner K and commissioner sck not at this time thank you and for me thank you thank you are there any individuals who would like to testify on this matter beginning with elected officials or their representatives yes Madam chair members of the board Connor Newman with the mayor's office of Neighborhood Services this time the mayor's office could defer to the Judgment this board our office after these guys were here not that long ago for licensing for a different matter um regarding the the seven all day alcohol license uh we had an abuts meeting on November 7th um as you heard from the applicant representation uh they've done a lot of Outreach connecting with uh Emerson uh the downtown residents uh neighborhood association as well as of Chinatown uh Business Association um we're unaware of any concerns at this time uh with that would' like to defer to the board thank you good morning attorney green good morning Madame chair members of the board this is Melissa low representing councelor Flint's office our office would like go on record in support of this matter thank you thank you thank you uh indis if you would like to provide your testimony as well on behalf of councelor Santana yes good morning ladies and gentlemen of the board my name is indis Johnson from councelor at large Henry Santana's office and we would like to go on record in support of this application and thank you for your time thank you thank you very much are there any other individuals who would like to testify on this matter seeing none the board will take this under advisement as well thank you all very much thank you those are all the items before the board this morning the board will convene to vote tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. notice is posted on the city's website uh that will adjourn this hearing thank you all and enjoy the rest of your day thanks thank you