Midway Cafe looks to expand
By adamg - 9/27/10 - 6:43 pm
The Midway Cafe on Washington Street in Jamaica Plain goes before the Boston Licensing Board on Oct. 6 for permission to expand its capacity from 60 to 90 people.
Location
Javascript is required to view this map.
Comments
They've been trying to do this for years
I don't understand why there has been opposition to such a small expansion. What will ultimately mean little to the neighborhood (I lived near there 9 years) will be huge for the Midway and its survival.
I never spoke to anyone directly who was opposed. Everyone I've ever met from near there was fine with it. But who knows, I've been out of the area for 3 1/2 years.
I also have to credit the Midway with being the reason I first ventured into JP in 1996. I was checking out a couple of bands on recommendation.
I don't understand why there
I assume that's a rhetorical statement. Everyone knows where the opposition comes from.
I didn't want to come right out and say it
Doyle's. I like Doyle's. They're completely misguided in their opposition. It won't effect them one bit. The extra cars on the street for Midway will be at hours later than Doyle's usual peak time. Besides, Washington Street is a rather long stretch. Cars can fan out.
If the owners of Doyle's knew what was good for them, they'd be doing their best to ensure that their business neighbors succeed. A good example of this kind of cooperation amongst similar and vaguely similar businesses can be seen in Salem, which now thrives year-round.
Wait... all this is about
Wait... all this is about parking? Seriously? It's 0.3 miles from Green Street. Also, there is parking available up and down Washington Street. (and maybe even the side streets too.) Maybe it's time to raise the parking fee from $0.00. Just sayin'.
Midway Cafe Expansion
I have been to several neighborhood and City Hall meetings regarding the proposed Midway expansion. I believe there are a couple of reasons why the Midway has never been granted the go ahead to expand.
One, the place is rarely, if ever at capacity now, why the need for the extra room? The folks who oppose the Mudway expansion have always been of the mind that the Midway owners wanted to get the expansion to make it more attractive for potential buyers.
The last thing Doyle's or most neighbors wants is a large nightclub going in next door that could cause problems in the neighborhood. A seedy little rock n'roll bar is fine as it is.
The other reason is Mayor Menino's hatred of the owners of the Midway Cafe. In the early days of attempted expansion, the owners did not go about doing things the right way, and upset Mayor Menino to no end. He has a memory like an elephant.
Just My Two Cents.
Joe Snerve
Ethical behavior, though?
It's not for others in the city to decide whether Midway needs to expand. That's up to the Midway, and should not be a criteria for whether or not permission is granted.
I have heard nothing of plans to sell. I'm partial to "seedy" rock-n-roll bars, myself. They're becoming too rare these days. And, they rarely cause any problems. It's easier to make money with a DJ pandering to more mainstream tastes, but those crowds for whatever reason like to annoy neighborhoods and beat each other up at last call. But still, is it ethical for a city to manipulate that way?
On the third point, I think Menino was a good mayor for a while, but it was time to overthrow him when he became king.
You're just realizing this?
Welcome to Boston....
Doesn't mean we have to accept it
I've been here 17 years, though the last three have been in Lynn. Ten of those years have been heavily involved in a number of communities. I'm aware, but I'm not going to remain silent.
Bizarre interference
This sort of bizarre interference in what should be cut and dried zoning issues by anybody who thinks they might perhaps MAYBE have a conspiracy theory or hysterical horror scenario that could result from the Midway having 30 more seats is typical in the Boston area.
It is also a partial reason why MA is going to lose another congressional seat - if this nonsense "system" means that it takes twenty seven years and millions of dollars to get a small business off the ground when it is entirely conforming, it ain't gonna happen. If it takes years longer to build as-of-right a building or housing or other project that improves the economy or makes housing more affordable than it does in some place where zoning is actually meanigful, it ain't gonna happen.
The one time I went there
The one time I went there everyone got thrown out and they were shut down by the fire marshal for being over capacity.
on capacity
the Midway gets to capacity very, very quickly on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. Being able to serve an extra 30 people on those nights would probably mean a huge difference in their bottom line, and would not have significant impact on neighbors at other times.
Well....
They've already knocked down the walls and expanded the bar. The other side is not open yet but is ready to go. I think the plan is that the expansion is not actually approved they will just board it up and use it as an office for the time being. They will never take any business away from Doyle's, two completely different crowds.
I won't go near Doyles I hate
I won't go near Doyles I hate them so much for blocking this over the years. It is maddening that we allow the mayor to have his way like this over and over again over such trifling but infuriating matters. Midway is one of the last real music venues in the Boston area. Doyles is a grim, over-rated Ye Olde Irishe Pub with bad food. I can't see why anyone but the tourists would ever set foot in the place--one of the stops on the Cheers Boston tour I reckon.
Their onion rings are really
Their onion rings are really good, FYI. Moreover, they offer cheap pints of Miller High Life ($2.25), though I had a more convincing argument last year when a pint of the champagne of beers was only $1.75.