Swampscott To Set BYOB Policy For Restaurants

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — Swampscott restaurants, and possibly civic and social organizations that serve food, that want to allow alcohol consumption on site without a full liquor license will soon have specific guidelines to follow as set by the Select Board.

The Select Board on Wednesday night approved components of a draft that requires businesses allowing BYOB on-premise to require the customer to order food, consume only beer and wine purchased outside the establishment, not provide pouring, refrigeration and storing services, and not charge additional fees for alcohol consumption.

The policy is meant to set a standard that helps facilitate more business while ensuring responsible serving, and perhaps encourage restaurants to lay the foundation to apply for one of the six open liquor licenses that remain available in the town.

"I do think that as the market changes we want to make sure that on Humphrey Street, and in Vinnin Square, and in our MBTA neighborhood," Swampscott Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald said, "that businesses can get started, and use this BYOB as a way to really venture into a business that is a challenging one.

"This makes a lot of sense having this as part of our regulatory offering."

The draft proposal has a $400 annual fee to offer BYOB service — which is substantially less than the $2,400 annual fee for a town-issued full liquor license and $2,100 for an annual beer and wine license — but includes the same requirements for staff alcohol service training and manager CORI checks, as well as fines for non-compliance.

"I think the idea here is that if we have liquor licenses available," Select Board member Katie Phelan said, "and they're not being utilized, and we make another avenue for BYOB, we should make it as similar to a (full) liquor license as possible so that the liquor licenses do get utilized.

"So that folks are looking at this as synonymous to a liquor license-type ability for their business without having liquor (to purchase for sale) in their business. ... For them to then say it might be worth it for them to take the next step in their business and have a full liquor license."

Under the proposal, patrons would be limited to three beers per person, and one bottle of wine either per person or per couple, and would only allow alcohol consumption during hours when food was being served. All alcohol would have to be unopened at the time it was brought into the establishment.

The draft is set to go through final revisions before the Select Board votes on it at an upcoming meeting.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)