The Wellesley Board of Selectmen will hold a public hearing on Sept. 11 at 7:30 pm at Town Hall to solicit feedback on a possible revision to the town’s alcohol sales rules that would allow establishments to have more than 10 bar seats.
“Recognizing a change in dining establishment design and the increase in single diners, a proposal is considering modifying the regulations to remove the cap of 10 bar seats per establishment. The regulations would continue to limit the number of bar seats to 10% of the number of interior seats within the establishment,” according to the public notice.
The change could be key to enticing new restaurants to town. Smith & Wollensky, for example, is seeking to have 230-255 seats at a new steakhouse location on Washington Street where Blue Ginger previously stood, and is aiming for 23 bar seats. The restaurant argues that solo dining, or even group dining at bars rather than tables, has been on the rise.
If you cannot attend the meeting but would like to send comments, please call (781) 431-1019 ext. 2205 or email [email protected] .
Wellesley has loosened its alcohol-related rules in recent years, with voters overwhelmingly approving revamped liquor licensing in 2012 that allowed establishments with 50 or more seats to apply for a license to serve. More recently, grocery stores such as Fells Market and Roche Bros., were allowed to start selling booze.
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