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Who loses when a liquor license in Boston sells for $600,000? – The Boston Globe

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Who loses when a liquor license in Boston sells for 0,000? – The Boston Globe


Daniel Roughan has also paused his search for a Boston spot for his next restaurant and is instead looking in Brookline, Burlington, and Wellesley.

“Boston doesn’t make sense because of the liquor license,” said Roughan, who owns Source in Harvard Square. “It’s a shame for the people of Boston who will miss out on a lot of great young chefs and operators that will go elsewhere.”

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It’s a story we’ve heard before, but this time it’s more unsettling as Boston recovers from a pandemic. While scores of restaurants shuttered for good during the COVID-19 public health crisis, others are clamoring to fill the gap. In an industry with notoriously thin profit margins, that means big landlords and deep-pocketed restaurateurs are increasingly the only ones who can stomach the high cost of doing business in Boston. That’s shutting out smaller players with more modest resources, especially those of color in lower-income neighborhoods.

The state caps the number of liquor licenses in Boston. Over the past two decades, the Legislature has allowed Boston to issue new ones, but demand continues to outstrip supply. That means if restaurateurs want a license, they mostly likely have to negotiate a sale directly from an existing holder.

A recent high mark for such a transaction: a $600,000 sale of a full-bar liquor license to the restaurant and lounge attached to View Boston, the newly opened observatory perched at the top of the Prudential Center, where admission alone is $34.99 for adults.

That’s according to data from the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission detailing the 15 Boston liquor licenses sold since March. The next most expensive: a $575,000 license to serve cocktails in the 11th-floor dining and lounge space at the new One Congress tower. Then there was a $550,000 transaction involving a massive bowling alley and restaurant concept space at the new Hood Park complex in Charlestown.

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The state caps the number of liquor licenses in Boston. Over the last decade, the Legislature has allowed the city to issue more, but demand continues to outstrip supply, making it difficult for independent restaurateurs to compete with those with big budgets. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff/file

Of the 1,100 or so liquor licenses for restaurants, most are in use, but others may be held by landlords or restaurant owners, waiting to be deployed when the timing is right, according to brokers and lawyers in the hospitality industry.

The situation resembles the housing market, where inventory is tight and buyers are stretched because potential sellers won’t budge from their high price points.

“It is a bidding war for these licenses right now,” said Lesley Delaney Hawkins, chair of the restaurant and hospitality practice group at Prince Lobel law firm. “The positive is that people want to still come in and invest in Boston … the negative is the concern of pricing people out of the market.”

One of those eager to obtain a liquor license is Hawkins’s client Andy Husbands, who is bringing his Smoke Shop BBQ concept to East Boston. But, for the first time in his decades-long career, Husbands will open a restaurant without serving alcohol.

While restaurants tend to make most of their money from alcohol sales, Husbands said he won’t be able to make the numbers work on a 90-seat restaurant if he has to spend $500,000 for a liquor license. He has several locations in the area, including in Cambridge and Somerville. A license might make sense if his Eastie space was bigger.

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“We’re not some fancy restaurant,” said Husbands, who is also Smoke Shop’s pit master. “It’s unfathomable to pay that amount of money. How can we ever pay that back?”

Husbands came to East Boston hoping to get a so-called restricted license, which can be obtained from City Hall directly. This type of license cannot be transferred, and must be returned to the city when a restaurant closes. Many restricted licenses are for underserved communities to create jobs for residents and give opportunities to restaurateurs of color.

Andy Husbands is bringing his Smoke Shop BBQ concept to East Boston. For the first time in his decades-long career, Husbands will open a restaurant without serving alcohol.John Blanding/Globe staff

Husbands said he has waited more than two years for one of the 10 restricted licenses in East Boston to become available. “Now that seems to be a fool’s errand,” he said.

A bill filed on Beacon Hill, with the blessing of the Boston City Council and Mayor Michelle Wu, calls for adding a handful of restricted licenses in 10 zip codes annually for five years. The bill would create as many as 250 new licenses in neighborhoods that could use an economic boost, including East Boston, Dorchester, Roxbury, Mattapan, and Hyde Park.

But supporters will have to wait until at least next year before there is any action on the measure. In an interview, state Representative Tackey Chan, a Democrat from Quincy who serves as cochair of the joint committee that reviews liquor licenses, said he isn’t scheduling the first hearing on the Boston bill until the fall.

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Chan says he understands the urgency, but he also wants to discern the impact of a bill that would represent a substantial increase — potentially more than 20 percent — in the number of liquor licenses to Boston restaurants.

“One of the objectives is that we don’t want to adversely affect the value of existing license holders,” said Chan. “We want to ensure that all liquor licenses proposed will actually be utilized.”

Nick Korn, principal at Offsite, a restaurant training and development firm in Boston, said the state shouldn’t be concerned about propping up the value of licenses. Offsite’s analysis indicates that so far the addition of more than 100 new licenses since 2006 has not led to a price drop on the secondary market.

“The government is complicit in prolonging a fundamentally unequal system based on artificial scarcity,” Korn said.

Josh Weinstein, owner of The Quiet Few in East Boston, was among the lucky ones to score a restricted license in 2018. He wanted to open a tiny, no-frills neighborhood whiskey tavern ― it’s only 1,000 square feet with about 40 seats.

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“You get so much personality in a small space,” he said.

Weinstein was surprised to learn that Husbands’s new Smoke Shop won’t feature the local chain’s well-known American whiskey program. With all the residential development underway, Weinstein said, East Boston needs more restaurants and bars.

“That breaks my heart they are opening without a liquor license,” he said. “Not only do I love his food, I was so excited. It’s a missed opportunity for East Boston to be a destination for whiskey lovers.”

Josh Weinstein, owner of The Quiet Few in East Boston, was one of the lucky ones who secured a restricted license in 2018. Carlin Stiehl for The Boston Globe

Shirley Leung is a Business columnist. She can be reached at shirley.leung@globe.com.

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Event held at Fenway Park honors the valedictorians of Boston Public Schools – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News

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Event held at Fenway Park honors the valedictorians of Boston Public Schools – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News


BOSTON (WHDH) – The best of Boston Public Schools (BPS) was honored at Fenway Park.

33 valedictorians from high schools across the city were recognized for their academic achievements.

“We are a welcoming district that loves and receives all students, and today was a testimony for those students and their families,” said Mary Skipper, Superintendent of BPS.

7’s own Amaka Ubaka emceed the event.

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Students say they are striving to make the world a better place for the next generation.

“I think it’s bigger than myself. I think it’s about the youth, it’s about inspiring black and brown students all across the world, especially in Boston, that we can be in spaces where we’re sometimes excluded from. That we’re here and we’re the new leaders,” said Leah Pires, valedictorian.

Honorees were presented with certificates and even got to pose with Red Sox World Series trophies.

Superintendent Skipper says the valedictorians were superstars in more ways than one.

“They might be working full time, they may be a caretaker for their family, they are athletes playing two or three sports. they are taking lots of APs and early college. They are doing everything that they possibly can and today it showed because they are the best in their school and their class,” said Skipper.

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The top graduates are thankful for how Boston Public Schools supported them throughout their journey.

“Boston Public Schools is the strongest, the best. We have the best educators, the leaders, we have the best opportunities. I just say every single time that BPS did it for me,” said Pires.

One valedictorian had some advice for the next generation.

“Spend your time well. Don’t be scared to try things,” said Shawn Zheng, valedictorian.

(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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Showcase gives ballplayers place to show their stuff

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Showcase gives ballplayers place to show their stuff


The dream of virtually any high school baseball player in Massachusetts is to get an opportunity to compete at the next level.

Dan Donato is hoping to make some of those dreams come true.

For the third straight year, Donato has spearheaded the New England Elite 100 Showcase, designed for high school baseball players looking to get noticed by college coaches at all levels. The two-day event will take place at Boston College on June 4-5.

“The numbers are coming in but we appear to be 15 ahead of last year’s pace,” said Donato, the head baseball coach at No. 1-ranked Dexter Southfield. “I think we’ve gotten to the point where this event is a must for any kids who want to play in college.”

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A two-sport standout at Catholic Memorial, Donato went on to play hockey and baseball at Boston University. Following college, Donato had a minor league career in both the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays organizations, getting as high as Triple-A.

In his travels as a player and later as a coach, Donato noticed a growing number of baseball camps and clinics popping up in the south. He often wondered why a similar format couldn’t work in the north, leading to the creation of the New England Elite 100 Showcase.

“You would go to places like Georgia and see these great showcases,” Donato said. “The reality of the situation is that 90 percent of the kids who play high school baseball around here are likely going to play college baseball somewhere in New England.”

The early success of the camp has allowed Donato to bring in some of the top local high school coaches to help run things. Among those on the staff include Rick Forestiere, who climbed on board from Day 1; Jonathan Pollard (Austin Prep); David Cunningham (Belmont Hill); David Cataruzolo (Roxbury Latin); and former major leaguer Matt Duffy, a group which has more than 100 years of coaching under their collective belts.

The first day serves as a showcase for kids to display their talents in a variety of drills. The next day will consist of a series of games in which every kid is guaranteed a minimum of three at-bats a game and every pitcher would get an opportunity to throw 20-30 pitches. Donato thinks this is more than sufficient for a player to showcase his skills in front of a bevy of coaches from the likes of Harvard, Dartmouth, Boston College, Northeastern, Bryant, as well as Saint Anselm and the NESCAC.

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“This is a great opportunity for kids who want to play college baseball to be able to have that chance to do it locally,” Donato said. “They’re going to get a chance to be seen by coaches from Division 1, 2 and 3. No matter what you are as an athlete, there is a home for anyone who wants to play college baseball.

“All I am trying to do here is help kids achieve their dreams of playing at the next level. It’s hard enough to play college baseball and it’s become even harder because of the transfer portals. I’ve coached for 25 years and I just want to do anything possible to help kids get to the next level whatever it happens to be for them.”

For further information, contact Tim Fledderjohn at fledd@premierfootballconsulting.com



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Thanks for the memories: All the top moments from Boston Calling 2025 – The Boston Globe

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Thanks for the memories: All the top moments from Boston Calling 2025 – The Boston Globe


Boston Calling 2025 photos and highlights


T-Pain performed at Boston Calling on Friday night.Ben Stas for The Boston Globe/The Boston Globe

Cowboy (and rain) boots were the attire du jour for Boston Calling on Friday, as the wettest day of the fest collided with its country-heavy billing.

The first night also brought faithful Fenway vibes as fans joined a “Sweet Caroline” singalong during a rain-soaked intermission while waiting for headliner Combs to perform. The short delay before his set proved to be worth the wait, as the country star charged up the Green Stage and “didn’t let up for an hour and a half,” according to Globe reviewer Marc Hirsh.

Boston Calling crowd shows up in full country attire for day one of festival
Scores of cowboy hats, boots, and bandanas could be seen in the crowd at Boston Calling Friday, with country acts Luke Comb and Megan Moroney headlining. (Olivia Yarvis/Globe Staff)

The “When It Rains It Pours” singer’s set featured a cameo by fellow country star Megan Moroney, who performed earlier in the night on the Green Stage. She rocked a personalized Red Sox jersey while joining Combs for a rendition of his song “Beer Never Broke My Heart.” Combs noted in an Instagram post that Moroney had been an extra in the song’s music video and asked her to jump in on Friday night when he saw they “were playing the same festival.”

Other highlights from the day included Sheryl Crow, rewarding fans who weathered the late-afternoon rain with crowd-pleasing hits like “Soak Up The Sun.” She offered a small bit of political commentary too, at one point shouting out, “I don’t know, Bruce Springsteen for president?” while wearing a T-shirt featuring the rocker.

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Poncho-clad fans took in a performance by Sheryl Crow at Boston Calling on Friday.Ben Stas for The Boston Globe/The Boston Globe

Meanwhile, singer-songwriter Max McNown played up to the New England crowd by performing the Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season,” calling the Vermont crooner, “one of my greatest inspirations.” Over on the Blue Stage, rapper T-Pain showed off his dance moves and kept the party going with nostalgic bangers like “Buy You A Drank (Shawty Snappin’)” and “All I Do Is Win.”

T-Pain performed at Boston Calling on Friday.Ben Stas for The Boston Globe/The Boston Globe

Boston band Dalton & the Sheriffs served as a last-minute replacement for TLC. The R&B group dropped out “due to an unexpected medical circumstance,” the fest announced early Friday afternoon.

Read Globe correspondent Marc Hirsh’s day one review here and check out more photos from Friday below.

Luke Combs performed at Boston Calling on Friday.Ben Stas for The Boston Globe/The Boston Globe
Luke Combs performed at Boston Calling on Friday.Ben Stas for The Boston Globe/The Boston Globe
Fans cheered for a performance by Luke Combs at Boston Calling on Friday.Ben Stas for The Boston Globe/The Boston Globe
Fans sang along while “Sweet Caroline” played before Luke Combs’ performance at Boston Calling on Friday.Ben Stas for The Boston Globe/The Boston Globe
T-Pain performed at Boston Calling on Friday.Ben Stas for The Boston Globe/The Boston Globe
Megan Moroney performed at Boston Calling on Friday.Alive Coverage for Boston Calling
Sheryl Crow performed at Boston Calling on Friday.Ben Stas for The Boston Globe/The Boston Globe
Megan From Work performed at Boston Calling on Friday.Ben Stas for The Boston Globe/The Boston Globe
Singer Josh Lane performed with Thee Sacred Souls at Boston Calling on Friday.Ben Stas for The Boston Globe/The Boston Globe
Infinity Song performed at Boston Calling on Friday.Ben Stas for The Boston Globe/The Boston Globe
Dalton and the Sheriffs performed at Boston Calling on Friday.Ben Stas for The Boston Globe/The Boston Globe
Max McNown performed at Boston Calling on Friday.Alive Coverage for Boston Calling
Future Teens performed at Boston Calling on Friday.Ben Stas for The Boston Globe/The Boston Globe
Fans took in a performance by Latrell James at Boston Calling on Friday.Ben Stas for The Boston Globe/The Boston Globe
Latrell James performed at Boston Calling on Friday.Ben Stas for The Boston Globe/The Boston Globe

Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy performed at Boston Calling on Saturday.Erin Clark/Globe Staff

Saturday’s lineup was a trip down memory lane for millennial pop-punk fans, culminating with headliners Fall Out Boy. From hits like “Thnks fr th Mmrs” to newer tracks like “So Much (for) Stardust,” the band surveyed its lengthy discography, with plenty of pyrotechnics thrown into the mix.

Fans sing along to the Fall Out Boy at Boston Calling on Saturday.Erin Clark/Globe Staff

Fans who caught Fall Out Boy’s set were treated to another “Sweet Caroline” moment, as singer Patrick Stump broke out the Neil Diamond tune during a brief piano interlude. The band also teased the opening to the Dropkick Murphy’s “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” before diving into “Bang The Doldrums.”

Avril Lavigne also brought the pyrotechnics and a heavy dose of pink pop punk aesthetics to the Green Stage with her early 2000s angsty teen anthems like “Sk8er Boi.” Lavigne later brought singer Alex Gaskarth from All Time Low out to perform their recent track “Fake As Hell.” (All Time Low performed earlier in the day on the Green Stage as well.)

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The Maine, Black Crowes, Cage the Elephant, and James Bay were also among Saturday’s lineup of performers.

Read Globe correspondent Victoria Wasylak’s day two review here and check out more photos from Saturday below.

Patrick Stump, lead singer of Fall Out Boy, performed at Boston Calling on Saturday.Erin Clark/Globe Staff
The Black Crowes performed at Boston Calling on Saturday.Erin Clark/Globe Staff
Fans sang along to the Black Crowes at Boston Calling on Saturday.Erin Clark/Globe Staff
Avril Lavigne performed at Boston Calling on Saturday.Ben Adams/Alive Co./Alive Coverage for Boston Calling
Avril Lavigne performed at Boston Calling on Saturday.Ben Adams/Alive Co./Alive Coverage for Boston Calling
Cage The Elephant performed at Boston Calling on Saturday.Erin Clark/Globe Staff
Cage The Elephant performed at Boston Calling on Saturday.Erin Clark/Globe Staff
All Time Low performed at Boston Calling on Saturday.Ben Adams/Alive Co./Alive Coverage for Boston Calling
Danya Clein, left, Ema Scollo danced to All Time Low during Boston Calling on Saturday.Erin Clark/Globe Staff
The Maine performed at Boston Calling on Saturday.Ben Adams/Alive Co./Alive Coverage for Boston Callin
Robbie Cunningham, lead vocalist of Amble, performed at Boston Calling on Saturday.Erin Clark/Globe Staff
Amber Lawson of PINKLIDS performed at Boston Calling on Saturday.Erin Clark/Globe Staff
Local band sidebody performed at Boston Calling on Saturday.Erin Clark/Globe Staff
Festival-goers take a selfie under the Boston Calling entrance arch at Harvard Athletic Complex in Boston on Saturday.Erin Clark/Globe Staff

Flavor Flav with Public Enemy performed at Boston Calling on Sunday.Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff

The final day of the fest brought the best weather, along with a mix of poignant tributes and political moments on stage.

Headliner Dave Matthews Band wound back the clock to the ’90s as the group played hits like “Tripping Billies.” During the set, singer Dave Matthews shared a message of hope for fans who felt like “the world has lost her mind” while calling out “mis-leaders.” After the performance, Matthews returned to the stage holding up a pair of signs that read “Stop killing children” and “Stop the genocide,” which he has brought out at previous events.

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Dave Matthews performed at Boston Calling on Sunday.Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff

On the Blue Stage, former Rage Against the Machine star and Harvard alum Tom Morello was back in his old stomping grounds. During his set, Morello reminisced with the crowd about his days in Cambridge. He also welcomed them to show with a heavy dig at the Trump administration, saying, “the last big event before they throw us all in jail.” (His stage and guitar were adorned with anti-Trump and -ICE motifs.) Morello also shouted out the Springsteen-Trump feud, adding: “Bruce draws a bigger audience,” before playing the Springsteen classic “The Ghost of Tom Joad.”

Morello also paid tribute to former Audioslave bandmate Chris Cornell with a rendition of “Like a Stone,” calling it “more of a prayer than a song” while honoring the late singer. The tributes continued on the Blue Stage with Public Enemy’s Flavor Flav and Chuck D, as the duo got the crowd to shout well wishes for recovering Celtics star Jayson Tatum. Flav also paid tribute to “Cheers” actor George Wendt, who died last week, telling the audience, “we gotta pour one out for Norm.” Chuck D and Morello teamed up for a song during the evening as well.

Other highlights from day three included Sublime, with singer Jakob Nowell honoring his late dad and the band’s former singer Bradley Nowell, as Sunday marked 29 years since his death. Amid a cloudy overcast, he added: “If you’ve got a family member or loved one who isn’t here with you tonight, I just want to let you know that they are here, man, sure as that [expletive] sun’s going to come out again.” The sun ended up breaking through the clouds shortly afterwards as the band performed, with Nowell later joking, “Yeah, we planned it.”

Jakob Nowell the lead singer with Sublime performed at Boston Calling on Sunday.Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff

Vampire Weekend, Remi Wolf, Spin Doctors, and more also performed on Sunday.

Check out more photos from Sunday below.

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Dave Matthews performed at Boston Calling on Sunday.Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff
Ezra Koenig, lead singer with Vampire, performed at Boston Calling on Sunday.Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff
Music fans singing along with Vampire Weekend as the band performed at Boston Calling on Sunday.Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff
Chuck D, Left and Flavor Flav of Public Enemy performed at Boston Calling on Sunday.Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff
Flavor Flav performed at Boston Calling on Sunday.Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff
Tom Morello performed at Boston Calling on Sunday.Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff
Eric Wilson the bass player with Sublime performed at Boston Calling on SundayMatthew J. Lee/Globe Staff
A fan crowd surfs while Sublime performed at Boston Calling on Sunday.Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff
Copilot performed at Boston Calling on Sunday.Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff
Remi Wolf performed at Boston Calling on Sunday.Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff
Griff Washburn, lead singer with Goth Babe, performed at Boston Calling on Sunday.Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff

Globe correspondents Haley Clough and Marianna Orozco contributed to this report.


Matt Juul can be reached at matthew.juul@globe.com.





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