Hot Property: Restaurants at The Bower
Shawmut Design and Construction completed the buildout of three new restaurants at the Bower development in Boston’s Fenway: Eastern Standard Kitchen and Drinks, All That Fish + Oyster and Equal Measure.
Black Restaurateurs Press For More Relief
Black restaurant owners and legislators called for more relief funding as they kicked off the fifth annual Boston Black Restaurant Challenge Tuesday morning, a month-long campaign intended to boost awareness of Black-owned eateries in the greater Boston area.
Restaurants Head into New Year of Uncertainty
The omicron variant remains a threat to the long-term recovery of Greater Boston’s many restaurants, forcing owners to implement novel and unconventional methods in order to stay open.
Supply, Labor Strains Squeeze Restaurants, Supermarkets
Restaurant and grocery leaders in Massachusetts say they continue to struggle under the combined pressures of inflation, low stock and labor shortages.
Legislators Weigh Changes to Outdoor Dining
Mindful that some of the changes that businesses made to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic could be here to stay, legislators are planning to continue a series of roundtables with restaurant and business owners later this month.
Speaker Open To Happy Hour Talks
Speaker Ronald Mariano said Thursday that he is open to discussing a reversal of the state’s ban on happy hour drink promotions, but he stopped short of either supporting or opposing the idea.
Mass. Restaurant Sales Back to 2019 Levels
Restaurant sales in Massachusetts have increased sharply since early April and surpassed their comparable 2019 levels even before most COVID-19 restrictions were lifted.
Restaurant Foot Traffic on the Rise
Foot traffic to food and beverage establishments in the Greater Boston region is up more than 42.5 percent since the beginning of the year and analysts say they see plenty more growth on the horizon.
Restaurant Survival Hopes Pick Up as $28.6B in SBA Grants Begin
Thousands of restaurants and bars decimated by the COVID-19 outbreak have a better chance at survival as the government begins handing out $28.6 billion in grants – money to help these small businesses stay afloat while they wait for customers to return.
Retailers Struggle to Find Workers as Demand Ramps Up
Hotel, restaurant and retail store owners warn that staffing shortages exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic could force them to limit occupancy, curtail hours and services or shut down facilities entirely just as they’re starting to bounce back from a grim year.
Boston Outdoor Dining Returns March 22
The start of Boston’s outdoor dining program has been moved up from April 1 to March 22 due to the forecast for seasonable weather, Mayor Marty Walsh announced Friday.
State Ups Capacity at Restaurants, Other Businesses to 50 Percent
Just hours after appearing before lawmakers critical of his administration’s rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations, Gov. Charlie Baker announced the state was loosening public health restrictions on restaurants and other businesses.
Baker Eases Business Capacity Limits
Massachusetts is easing some of its COVID-19 restrictions by increasing the capacity limits on businesses to 40 percent, Gov. Charlie Baker announced Thursday.
Baker to Lift Curfew, Stay-at-Home Advisory on Monday
Citing improvements to COVID-19 metrics since the start of the year, Gov. Charlie Baker announced Thursday that he will lift the 9:30 p.m. curfew that he imposed in November on restaurants and other businesses, effective Monday.
State: Over One-Third of Liquor Licensees Might Not Renew
Up to 35 percent of retail alcoholic beverage licensees and 20 percent of state licensees may not renew in the new year due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s “major economic toll” on bars and restaurants
Baker Orders 9:30 p.m. Restaurant Curfew to Combat COVID-19 Spike
Gov. Charlie Baker announced new measures Monday afternoon that he called “targeted interventions” to curb a week-long spike in the number of COVID-19 cases statewide.
Why You Should Care About a Beacon Hill Food Fight
Developers rely on hip eateries and a never-ending flow of new trendy new chains to generate the excitement and foot traffic needed get new projects off the ground. Now restaurants need the industry’s help amid a delivery fee battle.
Baker Lets Restaurants Expand Dining Capacity
Starting Monday, restaurants can seat groups of up to 10 people at indoor and outdoor dining tables – an increase from the current limit of six – and utilize bar seating for food service with the proper distance between patrons.
Boston Fed: Outdoor Dining Tied to Third of Restaurant Sales
Alfresco dining has become an important part of the restaurant industry in Massachusetts, having “dramatically increased” when state government prohibited indoor dining to slow the spread of the coronavirus, analysts at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston said.
Baker Halts Reopening, Lowers Crowd Sizes
The next part of the state’s third reopening phase is being put on hold indefinitely while local police are being empowered to fine anyone breaking newly-lowered caps on outdoor gatherings.
