• Contact Us
  • Events calendar
Entering Swellesley
Pinnacle, Wellesley

The Swellesley Report

More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

  • Advertise
  • Wellesley Square
  • Deland, Gibson Insurance Athlete of the Week
  • Camp
  • Private schools, sponsored by Riverbend
  • Business index
  • Contribute
  • Eat
  • Schools
  • Top 10 things to do
  • Embracing diversity
  • Kids
  • About us
  • Events
  • Natick Report
  • Seniors
  • Letters to the editor
  • Guidelines for letters to the editor
  • Live government meetings
  • Raiders sports schedules & results
  • Fire & police scanner
  • 2023 Town Election
 
Needham Bank, Wellesley
Write Ahead, Wellesley

Not for the fainthearted: Lockheart restaurant gets wary Wellesley Select Board’s OK

November 16, 2021 by Bob Brown 3 Comments

Things didn’t look hopeful for Wellesley resident Derek Brady’s bid to open a southwestern-themed tacos-plus restaurant called Lockheart next to the fire station in Wellesley Square after last week’s Select Board meeting. The Board went into a non-public executive session to discuss Brady’s business background, and a grim-faced crew emerged with an assumption the applicant would withdraw his plan—only to be informed by Brady’s attorney that this wasn’t over yet.

At this Monday’s Select Board meeting, which began with a public hearing to discuss possible changes to Wellesley’s alcohol regulations and a desire to attract a wider variety of restaurants, Mr. Brady made a comeback of which another well-known Mr. Brady familiar to those in this area would have been proud.

The Board again went into executive session to discuss Brady’s track record of running or investing in restaurants and bars in Boston and elsewhere. More than an hour-and-a half after proceedings began, they voted unanimously to approve licenses for the restaurant pending building and health approvals.

Brady had my unofficial vote when he spoke for all of us watching the meeting and politely but firmly told one of his legal reps to “please stop” after her umpteenth interruption.

As Select Board Chair Tom Ulfelder stated near the very end of the epic meeting, this hearing included “a lot of twists and turns.”

Wary Board members expressed and re-expressed concerns about violations, including for overcrowding and serving underage patrons, at restaurants the applicant has run or invested in. Ulfelder in the end said that a lot of the round-and-round could have been avoided if the initial application was filled out better and if supporting material had made clearer the circumstances under which some violations were issued, including before Brady was even involved with those places. Researching restaurant ownership is tricky, with owners often involved in numerous LLCs, some with murky or similar names.

One of Brady’s attorneys cited technology issues, such as the lack of everyone being able to meet in person, for some of the communications issues.

When Brady was able to get a few words in between the legal posturing, he explained how different operating Lockheart would be from some of the other establishments he’s involved with. This would be a business where no more than an estimated 30% of revenue would come from alcohol sales, he said.

“I happen to have a few restaurants that are in areas that are difficult to run restaurants…it’s difficult to run Causeway [across from Boston Garden], it’s difficult to run a lot of the restaurants that I have but that’s not the type of area that I think we’re looking at to do something here and that’s not the type of restaurant that I’m looking to do in this town,” Brady said. “They’re two different animals.”

The Board came around by the end, impressed in part by Mark Hicklin, who would be the restaurant’s manager, and like Brady is investing more than $85K in the venture. He gave straightforward answers to steps taken to address patrons trying to sneak in with fake IDs, including installation of a high-tech machine to sniff out bogus IDs that Lockheart would implement, too.

Linear Retail’s Lauren Rogers said the property management firm has had other prospective restaurant owners looking at its space, has done due diligence on Lockheart, and believes Brady’s proposal is the right fit. Among other things, she’s convinced he can actually staff the place at a time when that’s so hard to do. “I think his restaurant is a great anchor for this block,” she said.

Neighbors also vouched for Brady’s commitment to the community in looking to open Lockheart. Brady himself stressed that he’s gained experience running bars and restaurants in urban settings, but at this stage he’s focused on opening a family-oriented restaurant in the burbs.

In explaining her support for the project, Select Board member Beth Sullivan Woods acknowledged that the town hasn’t had as many restaurant applications as it would like to see, but that Lockheart appears to be the sort of place residents have said they would  support. Getting an application from a team coming from an urban restaurant and bar background “is a new experience for us and yet we very much have been making changes to be more open to restaurants,” she said.

This truly was a meeting impossible to summarize, as it featured everything from one Select Board member participating from overseas in the middle of her night to Brady freezing up due to a technical glitch at the end, unable to respond to a question about a timeline for the restaurant’s possible opening (a cliffhanger!).

I encourage you to check out the Wellesley Media recording at about the 2-hour, 40-minute mark to get the full effect.

One thing for sure is that Lockheart deserved an entertainment license.  Any outfit that can make a Select Board meeting this compelling easily qualifies for that.


  • Subscribe to Swellesley’s daily email
  • Please consider contributing to Swellesley to sustain our independent journalism venture
print

Filed Under: Business, Government, Restaurants

Comments

  1. Mari says

    November 16, 2021 at 2:20 pm

    The empty storefronts on Central are depressing. If the restaurants’ owners believe they can make a go of this with the high rents, and the decent wages needed to attract and retain good help in this economic climate, the Select Board should be saying, “Thank you, good luck and Godspeed!”

    I also hope we can revisit and scrap “intent to dine.” The rule seems out of step with peer towns. The sky isn’t going to fall if folks want to meet in a local business for a drink, without ordering food.

    Reply
  2. Ela123 says

    November 16, 2021 at 2:53 pm

    Great move…not.

    Reply
  3. DS says

    November 17, 2021 at 11:05 am

    As a local business owner, we welcome the foot traffic! If one is concerned about under age drinking, a understandable concern, one should also know that the college students–with disposable parents income– are spending that money in Boston for social outlets. Babson and Wellesley students also say on-line that there are no bars near campus or social options. Are students going to come to the schools due to one bar? No. But it does provide a place that does not exist today.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Linden Square, Wellesley
Riverbend, Natick

Tip us off…

Please send tips, photos, ideas to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

 

Advertisements

Wellesley Square, Wellesley Merchants
Wellesley, Jesamondo
Beacon Hill Athletic Club, Wellesley
Fay School, Southborough
Sexton test prep
Feldman Law
Wellesley Theatre Project
Volvo
Cheesy Street Grill
Mature Caregivers
Admit Fit, Wellesley
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
Never miss a post with our free daily Swellesley Report email
Name: 
Your email address:*
Please wait...
Please enter all required fields Click to hide
Correct invalid entries Click to hide

You can subscribe for free, though we appreciate any contribution that supports our independent journalism.

Click on Entering Natick sign to read our Natick Report

Entering Natick road sign

Most Read Posts

  • Sign up now for summer camp in Wellesley (and beyond)
  • Letters-to-the-editor day in Wellesley—important election-time updates
  • Wellesley Public Works news: A PFAS warning; Weston Road construction on tap for summer; Wood recycling hot, pricey; Town Meeting article preview
  • Wellesley business buzz: Board business liaison phased out; Help ID top business leaders of color; Hospital taps new president
  • Wellesley Cotillion makes a strong comeback

Upcoming Events

Jan 25
7:00 pm - 7:45 pm

Olin College Presents Connecting Communities 2023: Sustainability

Jan 26
9:00 am - 10:30 am

Select Board office hours—in-person or online

Jan 31
9:00 am - 11:00 am Recurring

Coffee and Conversation with the Wetlands Administrator and Staff

Jan 31
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Families Eat Together online presentation

Feb 1
11:59 pm

Deadline for Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club grants application

View Calendar

Popular pages

  • Wellesley’s 7 official scenic roads

Recent Comments

  • LADY WELLESLEY on Wellesley police officer injured in crash at intersection of Grove and Benvenue
  • Peggy Heffernan on Wellesley police officer injured in crash at intersection of Grove and Benvenue
  • Beth Dublin on Wellesley police officer injured in crash at intersection of Grove and Benvenue
  • Erika on Where to buy the Wellesleyest stuff in Wellesley
  • Alice Roy on Inside Track has jewel of a Wellesley engagement scoop

Links we like

  • Danny's Place
  • Great Runs
  • Jack Sanford: Wellesley's Major League Baseball Star
  • Tech-Tamer
  • The Wellesley Wine Press
  • Universal Hub
  • Wellesley Sports Discussion Facebook Group

Categories

  • 2021 Town Election (24)
  • 2023 Town Election (2)
  • Animals (428)
  • Antiques (49)
  • Art (592)
  • Beyond Wellesley (52)
  • Books (376)
  • Business (1,556)
  • Camp (11)
  • Careers/jobs (53)
  • Churches (82)
  • Clubs (236)
  • Construction (300)
  • Dump (130)
  • Education (3,189)
    • Babson College (252)
    • Bates Elementary School (18)
    • Dana Hall School (36)
    • Fiske Elementary School (11)
    • Hardy Elementary School (47)
    • Hunnewell Elementary School (46)
    • MassBay (57)
    • Schofield Elementary School (26)
    • Sprague Elementary School (19)
    • St. John School (2)
    • Tenacre Country Day School (11)
    • Upham Elementary School (35)
    • Wellesley College (613)
    • Wellesley High School (996)
    • Wellesley Middle School (204)
  • Embracing diversity (84)
  • Entertainment (814)
  • Environment (772)
  • Fashion (144)
  • Finance (15)
  • Fire (173)
  • Food (358)
  • Fundraising (641)
  • Gardens (164)
  • Government (604)
    • 2020 Town Election (47)
    • 2022 Town Election (15)
  • Health (866)
    • COVID-19 (203)
  • Hikes (6)
  • History (399)
  • Holidays (440)
  • Houses (162)
  • Humor (47)
  • Kids (867)
  • Law (8)
  • Legal notices (10)
  • Letters to the Editor (71)
  • Media (72)
  • METCO (4)
  • Military (13)
  • Morses Pond (109)
  • Music (579)
  • Natick Report (30)
  • Neighbors (280)
  • Obituaries & remembrances (86)
  • Outdoors (655)
  • Parenting (63)
  • Police (778)
    • Crime (395)
  • Politics (554)
  • POPS Senior Profile (10)
  • RDF (6)
  • Real estate (344)
  • Religion (138)
  • Restaurants (340)
  • Safety (155)
  • Scouts (2)
  • Seniors (127)
  • Shopping (163)
  • Sponsored (6)
  • Sports (1,012)
    • Athlete of the Week (12)
  • STEM (108)
  • Technology (165)
  • Theatre (397)
  • Town Meeting (23)
  • Transportation (240)
  • Travel (17)
  • Uncategorized (1,244)
  • Volunteering (350)
  • Weather (179)
  • Wellesley Election 2019 (21)
  • Wellesley Free Library (280)
  • Wellesley Holiday Gift Guide (2)
  • Wellesley's Wonderful Weekend (20)

© 2023 The Swellesley Report
Site by Tech-Tamer · Login