The Boston Licensing Board is warning bars with food-serving licenses they better start serving up food with their booze.
Several bars across the city got warnings from the board this week after police detectives cited them for possessing food-serving licenses without serving food. At a series of hearings on Tuesday, a police detective testified that, in some cases, bar workers admitted they hadn't served food regularly in years.
At the hearings, bar owners and managers owned up and said they'd stopped serving food because their patrons would rather have food delivered to the bar from nearby restaurants - the Eagle on Tremont Street in the South End - or because the state ban on smoking killed their dinner business - the Drinking Fountain in Jamaica Plain.
All, however, said they would gladly bring in a microwave or fire up their existing hot-dog machines every night rather than just turning them on for special events such as football playoff games or private parties.
More hearings are scheduled for next week.