Monday, June 01, 2020

Reopening of Bars in Massachusetts Has Been Pushed Back to Phase 4 -- But What Constitutes a Bar?

A couple of weeks ago, the Baker administration introduced a four-phased approach to reopen the Massachusetts economy based on public health guidance, including the reopening of restaurants and bars. Now it appears that the reopening of bars has been pushed back, though questions do remain.

According to an updated page that gives detailed information on when businesses can reopen, restaurants will still be able to open back up in Phase 2 but bars will apparently no longer be able to reopen in Phase 3, instead being pushed back to Phase 4 and joining dance clubs and nightclubs in that phase. This means that while restaurants may be able to open outdoor areas as soon as June 8 depending on when Phase 2 begins (and indoor areas being able to reopen later in Phase 2), bars might not be able to open until at least July 20, and it could be even later if the best-case three-week intervals for each phase get extended.

Earlier, there had been some confusion as to how the Commonwealth was defining what a bar is for the four-phased approach of reopening businesses, as the page simply defined them as "establishments that only serve alcohol and do not have kitchen areas that prepare food on-site." That definition has now been removed from the page, though based on the fact that beer gardens, breweries, wineries, and distilleries that do not provide seated food service under retail food permits cannot reopen until Phase 4, perhaps this definition of bars has not changed, which would mean that the vast majority of bars may actually be classified as restaurants. (Beer gardens, breweries, wineries, and distilleries that do provide seated food service will be allowed to reopen in Phase 2, presumably opening outdoor areas at first and then indoor areas.)

As always, stay tuned for more information as it comes in.

[Earlier Articles]
Guidelines Set in Place for Reopening of Restaurants and Bars in Massachusetts
Guidelines Set in Place for Reopening of Beer Gardens, Breweries, Wineries, and Distilleries in Massachusetts

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]