South End restaurant wants to stay open later
Pops Retaurant, 560 Tremont St., is seeking city permission to extend its closing hour from midnight to 1 a.m.
The Boston Licensing Board said it would defer action until after a neighborhood meeting, scheduled for tonight. A restaurant lawyer said the extended closing time would fill a public need because Pops sells food for less than other nearby restaurants. However, a resident of 45 Union Park told the board he already has trouble getting to sleep sometimes because of noise from the restaurant and that that would only be exacerbated by letting it stay open another hour.
The resident said he only heard about the board hearing this morning. The restaurant attorney said state law does not require notification of neighbors but that the restaurant on its own did send out notification - yesterday. Board Chairman Daniel Pokaski tore into the restaurant for that, saying a day's notice is hardly fair warning.
Comments
Affordable?
Um, I just checked the dinner menu at Pop's and the average price for a starter plus entree is $30.00, before drinks, dessert, tax and tip.
Pops' lawyer is arguing that's less than other food in the area?
That's a sad comment on the South End and its wonderful "gentrification." Shame that two of the closest restaurants to Pop's, namely Francesca's and Emilio's, apparently don't count as restaurants. Their food costs a LOT less than Pops', but there isn't as much ooooh-ing and ahhh-ing over it by the staff, owners and South End diners.
Francesca's is a cafe, and
Francesca's is a cafe, and Emilio's is a pizza joint... and you are comparing them to Pops?
Pops offers a fine dining experience, and at $30/person, in the South End, that IS affordable.
Fine Dining?
Pop's is "fine dining?" You gotta be kidding me. I'll give you "dining," but "fine dining?" Please!
Also, it is $30 BEFORE drinks, tax and tip. So add a glass of vino and add tax and tip and its more like $50 per person. That's affordable in the South End these days? You just don't know where to look. There are still some affordable restaurants left in the South End but they just won't valet park your Hummer.
Noise
It would be a good idea to get some more community feedback prior to granting the request.
One question I have, and it seems suddenly relevant, is why they've renamed the restaurant "The Bar at Pops" instead of just "Pops"?
Seeing as they want to add an hour's worth of service, I think we can draw some conclusions.
Is it trying to become Sister Sorel East?
God what a joke. People
God what a joke. People fighting to keep a decent place from staying open a little bit later. God forbid there be any late night nightlife in this town. And only in Boston is 1am really considered late. The stogies from Union Park St should move to the burbs if they want quiet and leave the city to the living.