Boston's Restaurant & Sports Bar Could Be Coming to Boston

A group of family-friendly restaurants and sports bars that gets its name from the founder's love for the city of Boston may actually be expanding to Boston after more than a half-century in business.

According to a post on the Business Wire site, Boston's Restaurant & Sports Bar is planning to open two locations in Massachusetts over the next three years, with Mineshkumar (Manny) Patel--who will be running the franchised outlets--hinting that at least one could be coming to the Greater Boston area, saying that "we look forward to introducing the brand to the Boston market." The post says that the first location is hoping to open this year.

Boston's first started out in Edmonton, Alberta, in the mid-1960s and today has 27 locations of Boston's Restaurant & Sports Bar in the United States while its sister brand--Boston Pizza--has more than 400 outlets in Canada. The Boston's Restaurant & Sports Bar concept combines family restaurants and sports bars under one roof, with such items as salads, sandwiches, pasta, gourmet pizza, wings, and burgers being offered.

The website for Boston's can be found at https://www.bostons.com/

Thanks to @FoodserviceEast for bringing this to our attention.

[October 13 update: Eater Boston states that the first Boston-area location of Boston's Restaurant & Sports Bar will open at 1124 Boylston Street near where the Back Bay and the Fenway meet, with the place possibly opening around June of 2018.]

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[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]

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Bob's Family Restaurant in Millis Destroyed by Fire

A family-friendly suburban restaurant that has been in business for nearly 30 years has been destroyed in a fire.

According to an article in Wicked Local Millis, Bob's Family Restaurant was hit by a blaze on Tuesday that fire investigators believe was caused by an electrical outlet, with the interior of the structure being considered a total loss. The dining spot, which was closed at the time of the fire, is currently boarded up and an estimated cost of the blaze is in the process of being determined, according to the post. Last night, a GoFundMe page was set up to help raise money for rebuilding Bob's Family Restaurant, though the Manarolis family--which owns the place--could not be reached for comment by Wicked Local as of last night.

Bob's Family Restaurant, which buzzfile.com says first opened in 1991, was known in part for its all-day breakfasts.

The address for Bob's Family Restaurant is 1115 Main Street, Millis, MA, 02054.

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[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]

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Joe's American Bar & Grill in Braintree Is Closing

A small local group of family-friendly restaurants is getting ready to close another one of its locations.

According to a message sent from the group, Joe's American Bar & Grill at the South Shore Plaza in Braintree is shutting down on February 19, with no specific reason given for its closure nor any information given on what might move into the space. This is the second location of Joe's to close in the local area over the past year or so, as an outlet in Peabody shut down in early 2016.

It appears that locations of Joe's in Boston (two), Dedham, Framingham, Franklin, and Woburn remain in operation. (Another location of Joe's--whose parent company is Tavistock--can be found in Fairfield, CT.)

The website for Joe's American Bar & Grill is at http://www.joesamerican.com/

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[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]

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More Than Two Dozen People Sickened after Eating at Wright's Farm in Burrillville, RI

An iconic Rhode Island restaurant that has been in business for more than 60 years is getting ready to reopen after a number of diners became ill there a few days ago.

The Providence Journal is reporting that approximately 30 people were sickened at Wright's Farm in Burrillville on Sunday night, with the patrons showing gastrointestinal symptoms after a young boy became sick in the restaurant. Health Department officials are waiting for test results to come back to see if it could be the norovirus, which is an airborne virus, and one that has been in the news of late after locations of Chipotle in Brighton and Billerica, MA, temporarily closed due to suspected norovirus outbreaks. Wright's Farm owner Frank Galleshaw says that they are steam cleaning the carpets and bleaching down the tables and hope to be open today, according to the Journal. (The eatery is only open Thursday through Sunday.)

[March 18 update: A Facebook post from the place indicates that Wright's Farm remains closed, with the plan being to continue the cleaning and sanitizing process over the coming days and reopening on Thursday, March 24.]

[March 21 update: Wright's Farm has confirmed that it will open back up on Thursday at 4:00 PM.]

Wright's Farm first opened in the 1950s, with the present owners purchasing the restaurant in 1972; the dining spot is known in part for its family-style chicken dinners.

The address for Wright's Farm is 84 Inman Road, Harrisville, RI, 02830. Its website can be found at http://www.wrightsfarm.com/

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Joe's American Bar & Grill in Peabody Has Closed

A small local group of family-friendly restaurants has quietly closed one of its locations.

A message sent from the dining spot this morning indicates that the Peabody outlet of Joe's American Bar & Grill has shut down for good, confirming what some people have been hinting at over the past few days, including at least a couple of posters on the Yelp page for the Northshore Mall dining spot as well as a question from another person within the Friends of Boston's Hidden Restaurants Facebook group. It appears that locations of Joe's in Boston (two), Braintree, Dedham, Framingham, Franklin, and Woburn remain in operation. (Other locations of the restaurant can also be found in Nashua, Providence, Fairfield, CT, and Paramus, NJ.)

Joe's American Bar & Grill is part of the Tavistock Restaurant Collection, which includes such brands as Abe & Louie's, Atlantic Fish, Coach Grill, and a number of others. The Orlando-based Tavistock Restaurant Collection is part of the Tavistock Group, which had purchased Joe's from the Back Bay Restaurant Group--a local restaurant group that also ran Atlantic Fish and Coach Grill, along with the now-closed Charley's--in 2011.

The website for Joe's American Bar & Grill can be found at http://www.joesamerican.com/

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[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]

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OpenTable's Picks for Best Kid-Friendly Restaurants Include Two Boston-Area Dining Spots

An online restaurant reservations provider has come out with its Diners' Choice awards for best kid-friendly restaurants in the United States, and two Boston-area dining spots (with several locations) are included on the list.

According to MarketWatch, OpenTable's Diners' Choice Awards for the 75 best child- and family-friendly restaurants includes Not Your Average Joe's and Jasper White's Summer Shack, with locations in Acton, Arlington, Beverly, Boston, Needham, and Norwell mentioned for the former, and locations in Boston, Cambridge, and Dedham mentioned for the latter. The only other New England restaurant to be included within the list is Rizzuto's Restaurant and Bar in Westport, CT.

The OpenTable list for best kid-friendly restaurants in America comes from nearly 5 million reviews for more than 15,000 restaurants total.

For a complete list of the kid-friendly places chosen by OpenTable's diners, please go to the MarketWatch link below.

OpenTable Diner Reviews Reveal Top 75 Kid-Friendly Restaurants


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Sal's Family Restaurant in Randolph Is Closing Today

A family-friendly restaurant in a southern suburb of Boston is closing its doors for good today after being in business for nearly four decades.

An email sent to us by one of our readers indicates that Sal's Family Restaurant in Randolph is shuttering at the end of business hours today, and a check on the restaurant's Facebook page indeed confirms this, with a note (and photo) on the page showing that the dining spot is shutting down after being in the North Main Street space for 38 years.

Sal's was a local favorite in and around Randolph over the years, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner, including such items as waffles, pancakes, French toast, pizza, calzones, steak tips, burgers, hot dogs, and a huge variety of hot and cold subs.

The address for Sal's is: Sal's Family Restaurant, 1151 North Main Street, Randolph, MA, 02368.

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Quaker Steak and Lube May Be Coming to Boston, Other New England Cities

A small chain of casual family restaurants that specializes in chicken wings may be coming to New England, including a possible location in Boston.

According to syracuse.com, Quaker Steak & Lube is looking to open several locations in New England, with Portland, ME, being the most likely candidate at this point. The article mentions that other locations of the chain might be opening in Boston, Springfield, Providence, RI, Manchester, NH, and Hartford, CT.

Quaker Steak & Lube, which is based in Sharon, PA, features classic American fare, including wings, soft pretzels, onion rings, burgers, steaks, and baby back ribs. The chain currently has approzimately 40 locations open, with most of them being in Pennsylvania and Ohio.

For more information on the possible opening of Quaker Steak & Lube in Boston and other New England cities, please go to the syracuse.com link below.

Syracuse company to open Quaker Steak and Lube restaurants in New York and New England

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Port 305 Opening at Marina Bay in Quincy

A new waterfront restaurant is coming to Quincy, opening in the space where another dining spot closed late last year. According to both Yelp and an earlier article in the Patriot Ledger/Wicked Local, Port 305 is going to open at the site of the former Skyline restaurant on the boardwalk at Marina Bay. Both sites indicate that the new family-friendly spot, which will also have a function room on the second floor, is looking at opening sometime this spring. The people behind Port 305 also own Siros, an upscale Italian restaurant that is around the corner on the Marina Bay boardwalk.

Skyline, a restaurant that featured seafood and American fare, closed in November of 2009 after being in business under that name for about five years. It had gone through several ownership changes as well as a name change over the years (it was originally called Amelia's).

[June 14 update: According to a poster on the Chowhound site, Port 305 is now open.]

The address for this restaurant in the Marina Bay section of Quincy is: Port 305, 305 Victory Road (Marina Bay), North Quincy, MA, 02171.

For more information on Port 305, please go to the links below.

Patriot Ledger/Wicked Local article:
Quincy restaurateur to open 2nd restaurant at Marina Bay

Yelp page:
Port 305 Marina Bay

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Twitters Bar and Grill Opening in Saugus

A family-friendly restaurant is coming to Saugus, though not without some controversy. According to the Saugus Advertiser and Wicked Local, Twitters Bar & Grill is going to be opening at the Square One Mall on Route 1, in the space where the Iron Works Grill and Tavern used to be. The restaurant will have nearly 6,000 square feet of space and a capacity of 165 as well as a bar with seating for 12, according to the article.

The Saugus Advertiser/Wicked Local article mentions that a sticking point arose with the restaurant manager's request that Twitters Bar & Grill be able to stay open until 2:00 AM. Both town meeting members and neighbors of the Square One Mall were troubled by the late closing, in part because of public safety issues. The town selectmen ended up voting on Twitters Bar & Grill being allowed to stay open until midnight, with last call being at 11:30 PM.

Based on a job posting on the Craigslist site, Twitters Bar & Grill is planning on opening sometime in March. [March 22 update: According to a new job posting on Craigslist, Twitters will be opening on Wednesday, March 24.]

The address for this soon-to-open restaurant in Saugus will be: Twitters Bar & Grill, 1201 Broadway (Square One Mall), Saugus, MA, 01906.

To read more on the pending opening of Twitters Bar & Grill, please go to the Saugus Advertiser/Wicked Local link below.

Full liquor restaurant coming to Square One

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C.F. Donovan's in Dorchester Has Apparently Closed

A popular neighborhood eatery in the Savin Hill section of Dorchester looks like it may have closed its doors. According to the Dorchester Reporter and a couple of posters on the Chowhound site, C.F. Donovan's Pub on Savin Hill Avenue is now dark, with their windows covered with paper and their doors locked. The Reporter also mentions that calls put into the restaurant were not answered, and equipment from the place looked like it was being put into trucks.

Over the past few weeks, several reports came out about the ill-fated branch of C.F. Donovan's that was supposed to open in Hyde Park. The place had been in the works for a few years but never opened, and there has been mention in the media about the place defaulting on loans.

C.F. Donovan's was a personal favorite of the Boston's Hidden Restaurants site, with such dishes as thin-crust pizza, pumpkin ravioli, steak tips, and turkey dinner being a cut above that of your typical family-friendly restaurant and pub.

For more information on the apparent closing of C.F. Donovan's Pub in Dorchester, please go to the Dorchester Reporter link below:

C.F. Donovan's apparently shuts down

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The Colonial Restaurant in Plymouth Has Closed; Colonial Tavern Remains Open

A family-friendly restaurant in Plymouth has closed its doors. According to the Wicked Local Web site, the Colonial Restaurant, which was located on Route 3A in the center of town, ceased operation after more than 60 years in business. The article mentions that the dining spot had faced a number of obstacles, including increased competition from chain restaurants, paid parking, and the closing of nearby government buildings.

Wicked Local goes on to say that the Colonial Tavern, which is located upstairs from the restaurant, will remain open and will feature a new menu.

The Colonial Restaurant had been featured on the Boston's Hidden Restaurants Web site (our sister site) and was considered a top local spot for solid, inexpensive eats.

For more information on the closing of the Colonial Restaurant in Plymouth, please go to the Wicked Local link below.

Colonial Restaurant closed

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The Ocean Deck Is Coming to Marshfield

A new restaurant called The Ocean Deck will soon be opening in the Green Harbor section of Marshfield. According to an article in the Marshfield Mariner newspaper as well as a job posting on Craigslist, The Ocean Deck will be a casual family-friendly restaurant that will mostly feature seafood and regional items. The newspaper mentions that the restaurant will be opening on Dyke Street (Route 139) at the Green Harbor Marina in the spot where the Boathouse Pub used to be. When it opens, The Ocean Deck will have a bar as well as an outdoor deck. [November 19 update: The Ocean Deck is now open.]

The address for this new family restaurant in the Green Harbor section of Marshfield will be: The Ocean Deck, 239 Dyke Road, Marshfield, MA, 02050. If you would like to follow their progress on Facebook, their page is at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Marshfield-MA/The-Ocean-Deck/123456741189

To read more about the opening of The Ocean Deck, please go to the Wicked Local (Marshfield Mariner) link below to read an article from a few months ago:

The Ocean Deck will replace Boathouse Pub

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Update: Alumni Restaurant Opens in Franklin

Franklin will soon be home to a new dining spot. According to various job postings--including on Craigslist--The Alumni Restaurant will be opening on East Central Street (Route 140), just east of the center of town. A note from the owner of The Alumni on a Franklin Cub Scout blog indicates that The Alumni will be a family-friendly restaurant that will also have a function room for meetings, fundraising activities, and other events.

[November 12 update: The Alumni Restaurant is now open. The place is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, and has a capacity of 140. The restaurant also has a bar area with room for 30. According to the restaurant's website, one of the specialties is the warm slow roasted sliced roast beef sandwich.]

The address for this restaurant southwest of Boston is: The Alumni Restaurant, 391 East Central Street, Franklin, MA. The phone number is (508) 528-8804. And the website is at: http://www.alumnirestaurant.com/

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Blue Ox to Open Soon in Lynn

Downtown Lynn will soon be home to the Blue Ox, a casual family restaurant. The Blue Ox will be moving into the space on Oxford Street that was formerly occupied by the Downtown Bistro, and before that, the Oxford Street Grill.

According to the restaurant's Web site, the executive chef and partner of the Blue Ox Bistro (Matt O’Neil) has worked at such top Boston restaurants as Prezza and No. 9 Park. The site also has a menu up, showing such items as tomato and corn bruschetta, pasta fagioli, a fried haddock sandwich, tagliatelle bolognese, grilled swordfish, and veal saltimbocca.

The Blue Ox should be opening sometime in early April at 191 Oxford Street in the heart of Lynn. Web site: http://www.theblueoxlynn.com/