The Cedar Grove Civic Association, in its first meeting of the fall season, last week gave its support to the Landmark Public House’s application for a 2 a.m. liquor license after listening to its owners’ plea for competitive fairness in Adams Corner, Neponset, and Lower Mills.
Some 60 members of the group were on hand at the McKeon Post on Wednesday (Sept. 10) as Landmark proprietors Ed Brooks and Russ DeMariano made their case for the later permit, which was to be taken up at a hearing scheduled for Wednesday of this week (Sept. 17).
“The real reason for this request is very simple: just to stay relevant and competitive in our very competitive restaurant industry,” said Brooks. “Other area restaurants like McGonagles’s and The Bowery already have later hours, and this is really hurting us. When the night gets later, we lose a lot of business. People will leave around 11:30 p.m. or midnight to go to a place where they know they can stay a little bit later.”
He added: “We currently close at 1 a.m. This really makes it hard for us to sustain and grow in Adams Corner, and extending our 2 a.m. license would level the playing field and allow us to compete fairly with these other businesses.”
The restaurateurs said they will commit to serving food as late as 12:30 or 1 a.m., in the hope that doing so will be especially beneficial for certain local customers who frequent the business at 772 Adams St.
“The Landmark has become a popular hangout for a lot of local first responders who work late shifts and live locally here in Dorchester,” Brooks said. “They come to us because they know they’ll find a safe and welcoming place to relax when their workday ends.”
He continued: “Many of the patrons work on the traditional weekends, Saturday and Sunday, so having these later hours for us, especially during the week, would give them more time to relax, and extending our hours would give them even more of a chance to grab a meal or a drink after serving the community all night. Something that they don’t always really have the option to do, especially in Dorchester.”
DeMariano emphasized this point, saying, “First responders will come in at 12:30, but then they’ll leave in 15 minutes if you call last call at 12:45. That’s the clientele we want to keep. Let them get a pizza at 1 o’clock and sit down and enjoy it, as opposed to having them come in there, have one drink, and then jump to McGonagle’s or The Bowery.”
When asked if the restaurant would be open until 2 a.m. every night, the pair said the license will likely be used Thursday through Sunday and potentially on Monday nights when a regular group of police officers frequently grab dinner and drinks.
“Our late-night crowd right now are your sons and daughters, your grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. Granting us a later license allows us to give the neighbors in Dorchester a safe and local option at night instead of having to travel and drive somewhere else in the city,” said Brooks. “The license would also mean a stronger and more stable landmark, which in turn means we can keep jobs secure for our staff and continue to contribute to the local economy.”
The civic group voted to support their application by a tally of 31 in favor and 5 opposed.
