Earlier this week, it was reported that a Boston suburb had told a restaurant and bar to stop selling grocery items. Now we have learned that the town will be easing the restrictions in light of the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
According to a source, the town of Arlington is setting up a process that will allow dining and drinking spots to sell groceries, with a Facebook post from Select Board member Diane Snell Mahon confirming this, saying that "In an effort to make sure residents can get the essentials they need and to help local businesses stay in business, Arlington is to allow our restaurants to start selling groceries. Approved restaurants will be able to sell their inventory, including meat, eggs and milk directly to residents in Arlington." In addition, the town is waiving the $150 permit fee for the selling of grocery items, while a special notice will be put up in the windows of places that are doing this in order to let people know. An article in Your Arlington mentions that Town Manager Adam Chapdelaine gives praise to the Health Department for such a quick solution to this problem, saying that "These are extraordinary circumstances, and with everything going on surrounding Covid-19, I am very proud of our Health Department for quickly developing a process that will help businesses and keep residents safe at the same time." The post does indicate that the easing of restrictions will end once the restaurant shutdown is lifted.
It is not yet known if the city of Boston will be working out a similar compromise with restaurants and bars that are located there; earlier, it was reported that the Boston Inspectional Services had notified at least one dining spot that it could not sell groceries unless it had what appeared to be a Food Service Health Permit.
[Earlier Article]
Arlington Tells Dining/Drinking Spot to Stop Selling Grocery Items Without Correct Permitting
by Marc Hurwitz (Also follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston)
[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]
