More liquor licenses a boon to Medford business, residents

Winchester now is looking to increase its number of liquor licenses, said Melvin Kleckner, town manager. Officials also want to reduce the number of seats a restaurant must have to serve alcohol to make it easier for smaller establishments to open in a town where venues downtown are rarely large. Medford reduced its seating minimum to 99 from 250 last year, according to James Flynn, a commissioner of the town’s licensing commission.

‘‘There are at least five empty storefronts downtown,’’ said Cathy Alexander, director of the Winchester Chamber of Commerce. ‘‘I know of a couple of restaurants who would open here if there were more [alcohol] licenses. I’m doing all I can to try to attract new business, and I need all the help I can get.’’

Stephanie Lin, manager of Sakura, a new Japanese restaurant on Main Street that opened eight months ago, said she and her husband, Hui Di Chen, would have rejected Winchester as a location if the town was not in the process of getting more alcohol licenses.

‘‘Customers like to have a glass of sake with sushi,’’ said Lin. ‘‘Customers request this.’’

In Winchester, the message is clear, said Alexander, who conducted a survey of residents.

‘‘Residents want to spend money in Winchester. This is a community-oriented town,’’ she said. ‘‘They want a family restaurant where they can bring their kids for a casual meal, have a glass of wine, and walk home.’’

Winchester native Michael Palmer, who opened Stearns & Hill’s Bistro on Main Street in Melrose 10 years ago, once owned two Winchester restaurants: The Swanton Street Diner and Pastazza. Palmer left Winchester to open larger restaurants and recently purchased the former Wayside Bazaar on Main Street, Reading, where this spring he plans to open Sam’s Bistro, a 150-seat restaurant with full bar service.

‘‘It’s a necessity from any restaurateur’s point of view to serve alcohol,’’ said Palmer. ‘‘A lot of restaurants have a profit line of 10 percent. Who wants to make an investment with a short return? Without a liquor license, you’re waging a bet.’’

The process to get liquor licenses in communities like Medford and Winchester is different than that of most cities and towns in the state. Medford, Winchester, Belmont and Arlington, for example, opted to remain ‘‘dry’’ following the alcohol prohibition of the 1930s, while most others adopted a state law that oversees alcohol licensing.

Over the years, many dry communities began to change with the times. But rather than formally adopt the state law that would automatically allow for a number of licenses based on their populations, they opt to operate within a process called a home rule petition, under which they must seek approval from the state Legislature, said Don Jordan, research director for the state Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensing. This route gives locales tighter rein over the type and number of licenses.

Jordan said Medford, Weston, and Arlington came to the state recently seeking to increase their number of licenses.

The communities that voted to adopt the state law may issue the licenses following a three-step process: local approval (usually the board of selectmen in towns, and the city council or licensing board in cities); review and approval by the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission; issuance by the local authority. The process is the same for communities that did not adopt the state law; however, the city or town must also petition the Legislature through a home rule petition.

Any community may seek approval for additional licenses above the limit set by population.

In Winchester, Kleckner expects approval for an additional four beer and wine licenses sometime next year, which will bring the town’s total to nine. As part of the approval process for those licenses, the town must identify prospective licensees beforehand.

Approval for five more full alcohol licenses should be finalized within the next few weeks, said Kleckner, upping that total to 10.

Bella Travaglini can be reached at bellatrav@gmail.com