The Advisor Magazine: Issue #20 –

About a month to go before the historic vote on question #3 for the liquor license industry – vote YES. Tell your friends and family to support local and independent operators.

  • Why vote “YES” on Question #3;
  • How to support your local liquor store & spread awareness;
  • “Nipping” litter in the bud;
  • Fall drink choices;
  • On-Premise holds strong despite inflation;
  • Employee Retention Tax Credit Fast Program for owners;
  • and more!
In this issue, we discuss the future of the industry.
Click Here To Read The Advisor – Issue #20.

The Advisor Magazine: Issue #19 –

Holding on to Summer and preserving the 3 tier alcohol system. Not sure what the opposition was expecting but The 21st Century Alcohol Reform Bill is going strong.

  • How to support saving the 3 Tier Alcohol System;
  • Boomer’s influence and buying power;
  • Wine made even more convenient;
  • Return of Happy Hour;
  • Understanding a commercial lease;
  • and more!
In this issue, we take a look at the direction the industry is heading nearing the final quarter of the year.
Click Here To Read The Advisor – Issue #19.

Restaurant’s Pandemic Adjustments

What’s Here To Stay For The Industry

An article posted in early July on rebusinessonline.com entitled “Retail, Restaurant Industries Embrace Post-Pandemic Design Shifts” addresses the post-pandemic shifts in consumer behavior, as the ease of ordering online with multiple pickup and/or delivery options has become the norm over the past few years. Although the pandemic is behind us, the behaviors consumers adopted are not, and consumer behaviors and expectations when it comes to shopping, dining, and drinking have changed, and businesses are paying attention. Let’s take a closer look at how restaurants are adapting.

The article identifies Border Foods, one of the largest privately held Taco Bell franchises in America, as one restaurant that has worked to create a new restaurant concept designed around the established fast-food model – but an elevated experience, with two-stories and four drive-thru lanes. Josh Hanson, founder and CEO at Vertical Works and WORKSHOP (the company behind the Border Foods redesign), states that their goal was to offer a “highly personalized customer experience” and that “the pandemic accelerated this expectation, as retailers were forced to connect with consumers in new ways.”

To read the full article – check out The Advisor Magazine – Issue 18.

 

 

Time For Nine

Grandfathering Off Premise Licenses

November 8, 2022 is a date that all liquor store owners should have circled on their calendar as a lot rides on the outcome of a proposed ballot question for 21st Century Alcohol Reform bill.

Most recently, more than 19,000 signatures from the public were filed in support of the reform, which over time would gradually increase the current number of licenses available to a single retailer from 9 to 18 by 2031.

Why is the number 9 so important?

As previously mentioned in Retail Tier Reform: Looming 21st Century Alcohol Changes in Issue #17 of The Advisor, the license cap for the sale of all alcoholic beverages (beer, wine, and liquor under the same license) would be reduced from 9 to 7. Retailers will be allowed more licenses overall; however, the cap for all alcoholic licenses will be lower.

For retailers who are currently near or wanting to capture the 9 license limit, they will have to pick up licenses quickly and start now.

With the cap increasing and the quota remaining the same, simple economics of supply and demand suggest that anyone who has a controlling interest in multiple stores, specifically those with all alcoholic licenses will greatly benefit.

For successful retail owners with great ambitions of increasing their capacity, this is not a time to “wait and see”. Your climb to nine licenses has to start now while there’s still time to get them under agreement.

Waiting around on the sidelines to see what happens won’t work and in fact will be too late. If you need a plan, we’re here for you. Call us any time at 781-319-9800.

To read the full article – check out The Advisor Magazine – Issue 18.

 

 

The Advisor Magazine: Issue #18 –

No signs of stopping for the battle growing on both sides on controversial liquor license issues across the state.
In Issue #18 of The Advisor we discuss:
In this issue, we take a look at both on and off-premise issues getting ready to boil over.
Click Here To Read The Advisor – Issue #18.

 

More Liquor Licenses Likely Coming To Boston For On Premise Use

Home Rule Petition Coming To The City of Boston

A Home Rule Petition was filed on April 1, 2022 regarding the allocation of liquor licenses in the City of Boston, as supporters of the petition argue that there is a disproportionate distribution of liquor licenses across the city and that “the well-documented racial wealth gap in Boston shows that it is crucial for MWBE’s [Minority/Women-Owned Business Enterprises] to have equitable access to liquor licenses in order to advance economic equity”.

The petition requests that 200 non-transferable licenses (meaning that if the business closes, the license would go back to the city) over a three-year period be distributed to establishments with a capacity of 50 people and under in the following neighborhoods: Dorchester, Mattapan, Roxbury, and Hyde Park, where there is currently a lack of licenses. For example, the petition points out that out of the 1,432 liquor licenses in Boston, Mattapan holds only ten of them.

It is proposed that all liquor licenses in the City of Boston shall increase by at least 10% over a ten year period. These licenses are for on premise use only, and because they would be non-transferable, these licenses would be given back to the City of Boston if revoked or canceled, to grant an application with the same requirements.

 

WCVB5 Boston commented on the petition in an April 7 update, describing it as “a tool for addressing the city’s racial wealth gap”. Likewise, an April 17 Boston Globe article entitled, “Waiting for liquor license reform in Boston”, comments on the petition, stating that: “Reforming liquor license law isn’t ultimately about booze. It’s about economic opportunity”. The article argues that because liquor license holders tend to open establishments in wealthier parts of the city, the less wealthy neighborhoods are hurting. The article also calls out Boston’s state-imposed hard cap on restaurant liquor licenses as being “antiquated and stubborn…a vestige of a bygone time”.

On June 16th, 2022, a City Council Committee on Government Operations hearing was held regarding important matters for the City of Boston, including this home rule petition, which consists of two Dockets: Docket #0465 and #0435.

Docket #0465 is the Petition for a Special Law Regarding an Act Authorizing Additional Licenses for the Sale of Alcoholic Beverages to be Drunk on the Premises in Boston, with sponsors being Councilors Brian Worrell, Ruthzee Louijeune, and Ricardo Arroyo. Docket #0435 is the Petition for a Special Law Regarding An Act Authorizing the City of Boston to Grant Four Additional Licenses for the Sale of Alcoholic Beverages to be Drunk on the Specified Premises, with sponsors being Councilors Ruthzee Louijeune and Julia Mejia. If you were unable to attend the hearing, we’ve got you covered with an overview of the discussion to provide you with the most current updates.

To read the full article – check out The Advisor Magazine – Issue 17.

 

 

The Advisor Magazine: Issue #17 –

As we settle in for Independence Day there’s much to celebrate even with looming changes to both on and off-premise liquor licenses.
In Issue #17 of The Advisor we discuss more on-premise liquor licenses coming to the City of Boston, retail Tier Reform, Summer drinking trends and more!
In this issue, we take a look at what’s to come going into Q3 of 2022.
Click Here To Read The Advisor – Issue #17.

 

20 Years In The Boston & Massachusetts Liquor License Business

What’s Next?

Twenty years is a long time to reflect back on and recall some incredible stories!

Some of the main characters who influenced my career path include Howard Deering Johnson, Donnie Wahlberg, Charlie Perkins, and of course, Dick Newcomb, my Father and original creator/owner of the Mug ‘n Muffin restaurants.

Our original family restaurant business started in 1965 in Wollaston, Massachusetts, the birthplace of one of America’s best-known restaurant chains, Howard Johnson’s (HoJo’s). My Dad’s new restaurant, named Mug ‘n Muffin, was opened in July 1965, only 1.5 years after I was born, so I was essentially born into the family business. Even as a young kid, I was involved as my Dad grew his business, which had evolved to 26 restaurants by the early 1980’s.

I grew up flipping eggs and burgers at my family’s restaurant, and before I was old enough to do that, I watched guys like Bobby Orr and other decorated Boston Bruins stop in for coffee, as one of the main restaurants was conveniently located across from the old Garden. Over the years, I watched my Dad negotiate with vendors and landlords and I now realize that I was getting a front-row seat to a real-life masterclass in influence before I was old enough to drive. I knew I wanted to be a restaurant owner and run my Dad’s business.

After I graduated college in 1986, we re-developed the concept, worked hard, and I was able to grow from two to four restaurants that I managed for the family. A lot of work and stress brought a lifestyle I didn’t want to maintain as my own family grew.

Ironically, my Dad’s restaurant was a regular host to AA groups, and I’ve been sober since March 28, 1988.

 

To see how the next 20 something years go – check out The Advisor Magazine – Issue 16.

 

 

The Advisor Magazine: Issue #16 –

The power struggle continues and things heat up in the retail tier of the liquor license industry. With being approx. 6 months away from the Senate vote on the 21st Century Alcohol Reform bill, many storylines are surfacing.

In Issue #16 of The Advisor we discuss what comes after 20 years in the liquor license industry, which pre-mixed liquor is taking over, the end of revitalization and more.

In this issue, we take a hard look at what’s to come for all stakeholders involved in off premise and on premise alcohol bills.
Click Here To Read The Advisor – Issue #16.

 

More Towns Banning Nips & Miniatures In Liquor Stores

Quincy may be the latest Massachusetts town to ban the sale of nips, according to a March 31 Patriot Ledger report. Mayor Thomas Koch has expressed interest in asking the city’s licensing board to ban the sale of nips (alcoholic beverages in containers 100 milliliters or less) to control littering and waterway pollution, as well as address other problems, such as trash-lined streets, debris in storm drains and contaminating ocean water.

Koch also believes that nips make it more difficult for restaurants and other establishments to control underage drinking. Koch has reportedly given this decision time, as the pandemic has already hit many businesses hard.

Quincy would follow five other Massachusetts towns that have already banned nips: Chelsea, Mashpee, Falmouth, Wareham (to go into effect 5/11/22) and Newton (to go into effect 6/30/22).

Also interesting to note is that a Rhode Island legislator has proposed a law that would ban nips statewide.

The question is: Will some businesses be able to make up the revenue if nips and miniature bottles are removed?

 

For more articles on the liquor industry – check out The Advisor Magazine – Issue 15.

 

 

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