Bickford's taps potential

But, after Swampscott selectmen approved a full alcoholic license for Bickford's last week, representatives of the restaurant said their request had more to do with a menu change rather than a desire to serve alcohol with breakfast.

After adding fish, lobster pie, scallops, clams, and steak to its dinner menu last year, the company -- owned by Delaware-based Elxsi Corporation -- has aggressively sought to obtain liquor licenses for its restaurants. With the addition of Swampscott, the company will offer alcohol at 12 of its locations in Massachusetts and 28 of its 61 restaurants in New England.

According to Bob Germaine, Bickford's vice president of operations, the company is moving forward to apply for alcohol licenses at all of its restaurants.

"We really wanted to be able to compete with everybody else," said Germaine, who estimated that the addition of alcohol sales could boost revenues at the Swampscott restaurant by 5 percent.

Bickford's new license will allow the restaurant to serve alcohol Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 10 p.m.

Company representatives said a bar will not be built in the eatery, and that the alcohol will be served from an area now occupied by a coffee machine.

Bickford's will become the ninth restaurant in Swampscott, with a population of 14,000, to have an all alcohol license, said Town Administrator Andrew Maylor. The other restaurants are Bertucci's, Anthony's Hawthorne by the Sea, Red Rock Bistro, Gourmet Garden, Papa Johns, Paradise Cafe, Thai Thani, and the Swampscott Depot.

The liquor license is a step by a business wanting to increase revenue in a town that has previously been perceived as antibusiness, said the chairman of the Board of Selectmen, Marc Paster. In recent months, the town has agreed to allow CVS pharmacy to stay open 24 hours, and has acquiesced to requests from an Internet cafe and a tanning salon to open.

"I think it's a positive change in attitude, and there's no question that the majority of town wants it this way," said Paster, who believes that prior planning, zoning, and selectmen's boards made Swampscott "a difficult place" for businesses to open or expand.

"I think with the current officials in place, they're keeping more of an open mind. When you increase businesses in town, it's a domino effect. Rather than going elsewhere, the residents in town will conduct business here," he said.

Selectman Reid Cassidy agreed with Paster. "I just believe that there's a different climate out there today and people want us to be more business-friendly," said Cassidy. "It helps the town because if we have businesses and they're doing well, we're going to get more taxes."

Germaine said the company also would renovate its brick, wood, stone, and aluminum-sided restaurant on Paradise Road by replacing the tiles in the lobby, and the chairs and booths in its two dining rooms.

On a recent Tuesday evening, where patrons can receive two pancake or omelet meals for the price of one, senior citizens chatted over coffee and soft drinks in both dining rooms. Many said they were regulars at the 132-seat restaurant. When asked whether they'd like to drink alcohol with their meals, there were mixed reactions.

"It's not a shot and a beer joint. I don't think it's the right place for booze," said Jerry Starion, a retired plumber and bar owner, as he prepared to eat a Big Apple pancake.

At another booth, Ken Weisman, a retired clothing cutter, said, "I don't think it's a bad idea. If someone wants to have a beer with their meal, what's so terrible?"

"We're not looking to be the place where someone goes to have their last drink," said Germaine, as he mingled with the patrons and encouraged them to try the new dinner menu. "We're trying to let people know it's a whole new ballgame. We have dinner that's as fresh as our breakfast."

Steven Rosenberg can be reached at rosenberg@globe.com