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Board rejects 2 a.m. take-out closing time for Andrew Square pizza place

The Boston Licensing Board this morning rejected a request from Red Line Pizza on Dorchester Avenue in South Boston's Andrew Square to offer take out until 2 a.m., citing complaints from residents and police about its repeated violations of its current 11 p.m. legal closing time.

The board voted to deny the application "with prejudice," which means Red Line will have to wait at least a year to re-apply for a later take-out closing time. Board members said this would give the pizzeria the opportunity to prove it can comply with its current closing time before the board considers later hours - and to install a take-out window so that people could pick up their orders without even going inside.

Red Line, across the street from the Andrew Square T stop, has permission to stay open until 2 a.m. for pick up by delivery drivers. At a hearing yesterday, it said it wants to offer food to people getting off their second-shift jobs and exiting the T stop to pick up something to eat at home.

But officers from District C-6 said the place keeps staying open late for people who are not delivery drivers and that BPD has had to respond there six times this year after 11 p.m. for trouble inside.

Board member Keeana Saxon also urged Red Line to continue working with neighbors on non-hours issues, including trash and the apparent siren call of pizza to vagrants.

In contrast to their opposition to Red Line's request, Andrew Square residents and the local civic association, if not state Sen. Nick Collins, strongly supported a 2 a.m. closing time for a proposed tavern just up the street, saying it would help lead to a revival of the often downtrodden square.

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Comments

Proponent shall contribute to a homeless relocation fund, providing one way bus and train tickets to their place of origin, together with debit cards redeemable at McDonalds, Burger King, and KFC/Taco Bell.

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should not even be allowed to apply for any change in their licenses.

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So does that mean that cop hours will now be reduced, with the cost savings returned to neighborhood taxpayers, or will they continue to pay full freight for cops who will no longer perform the work of responding to the pizzeria?

Was I supposed to be horrified by the idea that the cops showed up six times in one year? Do they suck at math, or do they think I'm too stupid to divide twelve by six? I'm not horrified or offended that police officers showed up to one of the few places where people convene at that hour every two months.

Police work is finite. That a city with an educated reputation let the testimony of a public servant pissy about having to do the job they were hired to do sway their decision on this pizzeria is embarrassing, and well beneath what Boston should aspire to be.

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six times is plenty of evidence that there is a problem with the location, not necessarily the business. It just might not be a good location to have that kind of business at that hour. The rat-friendly environment is likely the reason for the "with prejudice" decision, because that is definitely the responsibility of the business.

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They break their agreement six times a year? How about zero? Learn to follow what you agree to.

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They're wasting their time running a pizzeria.

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