Boston Mayor Wants 'Last Call For Alcohol' To Be Later

JAMAICA PLAIN, MA - Boston Mayor Martin Walsh’s Late Night Task Force made a recommendation to extend the hours that some Boston establishments can serve alcohol at night.

Under the new recommendations, restaurants that have licenses to serve alcohol until 10 or 11 p.m. could keep the drinks flowing until midnight with the proper hearing and community process, Walsh announced in a statement.

“All neighborhoods of Boston benefit from increased restaurant vibrancy and occupancy. When the mayor was first elected, he pledged to streamline the regulatory process, and he has delivered on that promise,” Bob Luz, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association, said in a statement.

Other recommendations made by the task force include allowing establishments to serve alcoholic drinks on patios without requiring them to serve food. Live musicians could also play later into the night as long as it doesn’t disturb the neighbors.

The Late Night Task force was made up of a “diverse group of students, restaurants and bar owners, law enforcement and business leaders from across the city,” according to the mayor’s office.

The task force looked for ways to make Boston’s nightlife safer and more “vibrant” and concluded its work in 2015.

“In the City of Boston we have an opportunity to create the kind of nightlife that visitors expect in a world-class city,” Walsh said in the statement. “I thank all the members of the task force who came together over the course of several months to help us think about how to make Boston a more exciting and engaging place to live, work and play.

“I look forward to further exploring these recommendations to make Boston even more enjoyable for everyone.”

[Photo via Flickr]