Licensing Board to Conduct Random Inspections at North End Restaurants

After numerous complaints to the city’s 311 hotline the Boston Licensing Board held a mandatory emergency virtual meeting on ZOOM last week that all North End restaurant owners had to attend or face losing their special outdoor seating permits.

Earlier this month Mayor Martin Walsh and the Licensing Board finalized plans and outlined regulations for special outdoor seating permits so North End restaurants severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic could start to reopen.

However, some North End restaurants jumped the gun, opening prior to the plans being finalized and some even reopened without receiving a final special permit from the city.

This led to a flurry of calls to the city from North End residents complaining that some restaurants were not adhering to the strict new regulations for outdoor dining, taking up more space outside on city streets than they should and social distancing of tables was pretty much absent. There were also complaints of smoking on outdoor patios, loud music and restaurants not closing at the time prescribed by the city.

At last week’s ZOOM meeting Chairwoman of the Licensing Board, Kathleen Joyce told North End Restaurant owners would now be subjected to random inspections by the city to ensure they are in compliance.

“We will be inspecting,” said Joyce. “So I strongly suggest that, if the outdoor space of your dining area does not match the approval, you remove your stuff today and only occupy the space that you’ve been given permission from the board.”

At the meeting Joyce took a tough stance on restaurateurs that are in violation.

“If a business is found in violation your guests will be asked to leave immediately,” said Joyce. “We are not waiting for people to pay their bills. They’ll be asked to leave right away.”

Joyce hinted that if things keep going the way they have been the special outdoor permit program may have to be shelved.

Restaurants that applied and received approval for outdoor spaces can remain open until 10 p.m. on weeknights and 11 p.m. on weekends.

Outdoor restaurant tables must be minimum 6 feet away, and tables can’t seat more than 6 people. Workers must wear masks, and patrons must wear masks until they are seated at their tables.

“Most (in the North End) are in compliance,” said Phil Frattaroli, whose family owns two restaurants in the neighborhood. “The North End is one of the hardest hit areas in the state. We have no parking lots to set up tents in, colonial era urban planning left tiny sidewalks, tourism and cultural events neighborhood restaurants depend on came to a stand still. It’s hard to blame desperate business owners who put three tables instead of two in the postage stamp area they were given. At least this is happening outdoors, customers are not forced to sit anywhere they don’t feel comfortable. Is there perfect distancing happening at the super markets, or on the MBTA? Yes, there are some who are not in full compliance and the neighborhood is being painted with a broad brush due to disproportionate coverage. People have the choice to stay home, they have the choice to frequent restaurants that are taking this seriously, and they have the choice to frequent restaurants that are more lax. The reason municipalities have bent over backwards to allow outdoor seating is because the virus does not spread outdoors the way it spreads indoors.”