Boloco

Delays in Green Line extension mean fewer burritos for Medford

The Medford Green Line Neighborhood Alliance posts e-mail from Boloco honcho John Pepper about the Boston Avenue Boloco:

We opened our Medford restaurant 5 years ago in great part due to the knowledge that the Green Line was "coming" and would add vitality to Boston Ave. We heard it could be 4-5 years which sounded crazy at the time. Sadly, we’ve recently decided not to renew our lease and we'll be out November 30.

The state recently announced it could be 2020 before anybody can ride the Green Line north and west of Lechmere.

Via Davis Square LiveJournal.

Burrito battle: How a downtown restaurant was almost shut down over donated food for a city event

It began, John Pepper says, with a phone call Wednesday from City Hall: Could one of his Boloco restaurants supply burritos for a major announcement the mayor wold be making in front of City Hall on Thursday?

Boloco: City inspectors threatened to shut restaurant over burrito donations to event organized by the mayor

John Pepper, founder of the Boloco chain, is ripping into the city on Twitter tonight for what happened with the burritos the mayor's office promised bicyclists who showed up at the Hubway bike-rental announcement in front of City Hall today:

City of Boston threatened 2 shut down fed st Boloco b/c City of Boston didn't pull food permit for their own event. We donated 200 burritos.

How a city can thank businesses for supporting its civic efforts with rudeness, threats, and disrespect has us reeling today.

Not staying quiet any longer. Between the union rackets, bureaucracy, red tape, and lack of graciousness it's a wonder anything gets done.

The mayor recently proposed a one-stop Business Resource Center aimed at making it easier for small businesses to get things done in Boston. However, it's part of his budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1.

Boloco looking at Dudley Square

Although first it would have to find a suitable location, Third Decade reports.

It's good when panhandlers have your back

Megan Johnson, who admits to stealing toilet papers from public loos in her current unemployment, still tried to help out the panhandler who asked her for change at Boylston and Charles today. She gave him what she had, which was a bunch of pennies - which he then threw at her. But the Boloco people who saw the whole thing gave her a free smoothie - and she reports her regular panhandler, at Beacon and Charles, volunteered to go find the first guy and beat him up after she told him what had happened. Complete with a photo of the lout, should you wish to avoid him.

With epic number of vacancies, one Newbury Street landlord still wants huge rent increase

Boloco CEO John Pepper tweets:

Just in - our landlord wants to raise Newbury St rent 25% to $122/sq ft. Speechless. Who will break the news to him that 2007 is gone?

The vacant storefronts of Newbury Street.

Look, you have a choice: You can start eating at the Davis Square Boloco or you can watch it close

It's that simple, really; Boloco owner John Pepper explains the situation and answers every last person on Davis Square LiveJournal who posted why they never eat there.