"Of the applicants, 13 businesses were approved by the city's Licensing Board as part of the major state legislation that gave Boston 225 new liquor licenses in 2024. In Boston, liquor licenses have long been regulated by the state, which has resulted in licenses hitting the private market for hundreds of thousands of dollars and a concentration of license-holding restaurants in wealthier neighborhoods."
"These new licenses are to be doled out over the next couple of years, and the vast majority are zip code-restricted, giving restaurants in neighborhoods like East Boston, Roslindale, and Roxbury more of a chance to get a license without facing a substantial price tag. It includes a mix of all-alcohol licenses and beer-and-wine-only licenses."
"All of these licenses are restricted, meaning that when the restaurant is no longer using the liquor license, they must return it back to the city instead of selling the license on the private market."
Boston's Licensing Board approved 24 liquor licenses for restaurants through three separate legislative efforts. Thirteen businesses received new licenses under 2024 state legislation that allocated 225 new licenses to Boston, with most restricted to specific zip codes in neighborhoods like East Boston, Roslindale, and Roxbury. Five additional licenses came from a 2006 petition for restricted neighborhoods, and six restaurants upgraded existing beer-and-wine licenses to all-alcohol licenses. All approved licenses are restricted, requiring return to the city rather than private resale. Historically, Boston's state-regulated liquor licenses commanded hundreds of thousands of dollars on the private market, concentrating availability in wealthier neighborhoods. The approval process evaluated public need rather than using first-come, first-serve criteria.
Read at Boston.com
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