The latest Wellesley, Mass., business news:
Restaurant Dryft’s outdoor music plans on hold
As we scooped in January, a version of Michael Aldi’s popular Dryft seafood and pasta restaurant along Revere Beach is slated to open at Wellesley’s Linden Square as soon as June. That plan is still in effect, though after this week’s Select Board meeting, the restaurant’s arrival could be a tad quieter than Aldi and his team had hoped for.
The Select Board held a hearing and voted on Dryft’s application for common victualler, all alcohol, and entertainment licenses. The first two—no problem. The entertainment license—not so easy.
To be clear, the entertainment license plans are not elaborate. We’re talking TVs behind the indoor bar, and indoor background music. What turned the agenda item into a 40-minute plus discussion hung on Dryft’s expectation to pipe background music into its 28-seat outdoor space—an area that Wellesley Tavern carved out but never wound up using before it closed in mid-2022. The idea for the new fast casual restaurant would be to take the edge off vehicular sounds in the Linden Square parking lot via some low-volume recorded tunes within its outdoor pergola.
Select Board member Lise Olney said she was excited for Dryft’s arrival and had no issue with the application except to put speakers in the outdoor dining area. She said: “I am just quite concerned about how that sound is going to affect nearby residents,” including those who live across the railroad tracks behind the restaurant, those behind Roche Bros., and those near the Tailby lot.
Dryft’s space would also be adjacent to the Karma restaurant‘s own outdoor area when that Asian fusion eatery opens as soon as this summer.
Olney, who had just happened to attend an event about noise pollution, described outdoor sound as “a topic of greater awareness in the community.” Indeed, Wellesley has become all ears about everything from neighbors’ pickleball complaints to Natural Resource Commission efforts to define an outdoor amplified sound policy, and from non-stop construction racket to leaf blowers.
Aldi emphasized that “the intention isn’t to blast music,” but rather to provide background music that helps diners not listen to everyone else’s conversations. As the operator of restaurants below hundreds of apartments along Revere Beach, Aldi said he knows how to manage sound at reasonable decibel levels and has never had noise complaints.
The Select Board’s concern is that if Dryft is allowed to have outdoor music, then other restaurants might want the same, and that could all add up to too much sound. Bertucci’s was allowed to have outdoor music when it was open in Wellesley Hills, but the Board said this is not something generally allowed.
Select Board member Beth Sullivan Woods floated the idea of letting Dryft pilot outdoor sound at certain times, but the Board decided it would shift this discussion to its policy subcommittee before allowing even that. Board Chair Tom Ulfelder said “We really do care about being equitable for all businesses.”
Aldi said he could possibly just open the restaurant without outdoor dining, and revisit such a decision if the town establishes a new policy.
The Board approved the licenses, though did so for the entertainment license without allowing exterior sound for now.
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March 20 grand opening for Aesthetic + Mind MD Health and Wellness Clinic
There’s a new spot for holistic healthcare services in Wellesley including facial and body contouring, skin rejuvenation, weight loss and body contouring, nutritional services, sexual health services, and TMS Therapy for mental health. Learn more at the ribbon cutting and grand opening celebration of Aesthetic + Mind MD Health and Wellness Clinic at 332 Washingon Street, Suite 36, on Wednesday, March 20, at 3pm.
“By integrating innovative, evidence-based treatments, we are dedicated to enhancing the well-being and dignity of each patient,” the clinic’s owner and founder Dr. Tola T’Sarumi, MD said.
The grand opening will include guided facility tours, complimentary wellness workshops, special promotions for attendees, and the opportunity to meet the clinic’s team.
OPENING EVENTS
March 20, 3pm, ribbon cutting; 4pm-7pm, open house
March 21, 4-7pm, open house
March 22, 4pm-7pm, open house
Know of businesses opening, closing, expanding or shrinking in Wellesley? Let us know: theswellesleyreport@gmail.com
