Historic Dugout Cafe dive bar to sell its liquor license to chain restaurant

"The Dugout opened in 1934 and was one of the first bars that obtained a liquor license in Boston following the repeal of Prohibition's Volstead Act, according to BU Today. It may have even served alcohol during Prohibition, rumor has it. Its first and longtime owner was Jimmy O'Keefe, known as a bootlegger and for getting into a fistfight with then Gov. Maurice Tobin."

"The Boston Licensing Board approved the liquor license transfer from Dugout Cafe to Earls Kitchen + Bar's Seaport location at a Jan. 8 meeting. The prized liquor license comes with a price tag of $550,000, an attorney representing Earls told Boston.com, which is near the going rate for the heavily restricted all-alcohol licenses on the private market in Boston. It isn't immediately clear if the Dugout Cafe has closed or when it closed."

The Boston Licensing Board approved transfer of the Dugout Cafe’s all-alcohol liquor license to Earls Kitchen + Bar for $550,000 to outfit a Seaport location. The Dugout, a basement-level bar opened in 1934, appears to have closed and a weekly comedy show that performed there announced it is seeking a new venue. The Dugout’s history includes alleged Prohibition-era service, longtime owner Jimmy O’Keefe’s bootlegging background and a rumored link to planning the 1950 Brink’s robbery. The bar served diverse patrons from politicians and robbers to Red Sox players and university students.

Read at Boston.com