{"id":432,"date":"2026-06-24T18:33:04","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T18:33:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/?p=432"},"modified":"2026-06-24T18:33:04","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T18:33:04","slug":"a-tale-of-two-liquor-laws","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/?p=432","title":{"rendered":"A tale of two liquor laws"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Is Cambridge getting more lax about liquor? Two policies are telling two different stories.<\/p>\n

Read more Mass. high court strikes rent control question from ballot<\/a><\/p>\n

New public drinking permissions during the World Cup suggest a more laissez-faire approach. But the same Cambridge department that fast-tracked the state\u2019s idea to extend bar hours and offer alcohol to-go through July also wants to limit customers to one drink every 30 minutes.<\/p>\n

City makes pour decisions<\/h2>\n

On May 1, Cambridge\u2019s board of license commissioners proposed changes to the city\u2019s alcohol regulations. They included a 30-minute cooling period between drink orders, an earlier last call and a requirement to offer drug testing devices for tampered drinks.<\/p>\n

These changes were emailed to alcohol license holders in a redlined 30-page document, but only gained widespread notice in mid-June after Lauren Friel, owner of the wine bar Dear Annie, posted about them on Instagram.<\/p>\n

\u201c[These rules] would probably be the most restrictive in the country,\u201d she said in a widely-shared video. \u201cThe only way a colleague of mine suggested we [monitor customers] would be to put egg timers on every table.\u201d<\/p>\n

The proposed rules were puzzling to many business owners and patrons, who are still adjusting to the fact that you can now stroll down in Cambridge with a beer in hand. That is, as long as that beer is from an approved bar, in an approved cup, and held by a wristbanded hand.<\/p>\n

None of this was possible until June 12. Four days after Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey signed an anticipated law loosening alcohol service during the World Cup, Cambridge\u2019s Licensing Commission hastened to offer local businesses permits to take advantage of the opportunity.<\/p>\n

City spokesperson Jeremy Warnick said sending the proposal of stricter rules right before the city launched its summer public drinking zones was \u201ca coincidence.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

But the effect, according to Evan Harrison, co-owner of State Park in Kendall Square, was more like \u201cwhiplash.\u201d<\/p>\n

The loosening of rules for people to enjoy the city in new ways during the World Cup was \u201cpretty progressive and cool,\u201d he said. But these new, proposed rules are \u201ccategorically opposed\u201d to that.<\/p>\n

Any rules requiring service staff to keep time would require operators to \u201cmicromanage people in a condescending way,\u201d he said. \u201cIt distracts from any kind of authentic experience in a bar or restaurant.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prohibition still unpopular<\/h2>\n

Last Thursday, a summer thunderstorm didn\u2019t keep residents from enjoying the World Cup match between Mexico and Korea.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On crowded rooftops, in lines outside bars, and on sidewalk patios, both residents and nightlife staff were eager to weigh in on the new rules.<\/p>\n

Roofside at Felipe\u2019s in Harvard Square was A.J. Martinez, a nine-year resident of Cambridge, who called the 30-minute wait time \u201cdumb.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Another patron who comes to Cambridge with friends from Boston said it would deter him from crossing the Charles River to socialize.<\/p>\n

Security professionals at both Felipe\u2019s and Shays said it didn\u2019t seem feasible.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s \u201coverkill,\u201d said Divyne Apollon, a security guard, who said servers are already trained to monitor people for overconsumption.<\/p>\n

Apollon has worked in nightlife for over 40 years in places like Washington, D.C. and New Jersey and said regulations in Cambridge and Massachusetts are \u201cway over the top,\u201d even for a region that attracts many young people for college.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Here, \u201cthere\u2019s no responsibility [expected] from the patron,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The city\u2019s hangover<\/h2>\n

Two days after Friel posted her video, the licensing board tried to walk back its proposal.<\/p>\n

License commission chair Nicole Murati-Ferrer sent to business owners saying that the document that was originally sent was a working draft. Sending it out was a request for feedback, she wrote, before apologizing if that wasn\u2019t clear. She said the board held two feedback sessions for business owners in June and would host two more in July before discussing the rules in August.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more Moulton pledges investments in biotech, affordable housing<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI never got a notification of any listening sessions,\u201d said Kari Kuelzer, owner of The Sea Hag and Grendel\u2019s Den in Harvard Square. Kuelzer said some of her colleagues in the industry had heard of these sessions, but she didn\u2019t know anyone who was actually invited.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople started freaking out that they weren\u2019t getting invited,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t know how to explain this. It\u2019s all hair-on-fire right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the city side, Warnick said he didn\u2019t know how the licensing commission organized those feedback sessions, or if they were well-attended. But, he insisted that there was \u201cno rush to this process\u201d and the licensing board was not trying to finalize the rules soon.<\/p>\n

The licensing board is under the purview of the city manager. The three commissioners include a commission chair, the fire chief and the police commissioner, and are not publicly elected. Although they do not edit their rules on a set schedule, changes have been published roughly every 10 years since the late \u201990s.<\/p>\n

At Monday night\u2019s city council meeting, councillors expressed concerns about the way the proposed rules were communicated.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think this is nuts,\u201d said councillor Marc McGovern. \u201c\u2026 If [the board] really wanted to start a conversation, there was a better way to do that than redlining the current rules with things they say they\u2019re not advocating for.\u201d<\/p>\n

He co-sponsored a policy order led by councillor Patricia Nolan calling for more \u201cinclusive and robust\u201d community engagement on any proposed licensing changes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if we don\u2019t have the direct authority to change things, we have the responsibility to make sure that changes are done in a way that is \u2026 transparent \u2026 and respectful of all stakeholders,\u201d said Nolan in an interview.<\/p>\n

During discussion, councillors turned their attention to the licensing board itself, which they do not oversee.<\/p>\n

Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui asked if the board might be expanded. She advocated for the inclusion of the city\u2019s Community Development Department which, amongst other things, offers services to small businesses.<\/p>\n

The number of licensing board seats is determined by the state and currently fixed at three. But by the end of council discussion, the policy order gained a co-sponsor and was edited to include even stronger language disapproving of the new rules. It was ultimately referred to the Economic Development Committee for a hearing where, crucially, business owners would be able to share their feelings with the License Commission.<\/p>\n

City orders another round<\/h2>\n

Since the new rules were proposed, Cambridge has been the subject of online ridicule, with social media commentators describing the city as run by \u201ctheater dorks\u201d and puritans who lie awake at night \u201cworrying if someone, somewhere might be enjoying themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

In real life, the reviews were mixed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kuelzer, who owns The Sea Hag and Grendel\u2019s, agreed that \u201cwe have a reputation of being a bit of a nanny state with a finger-wagging culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeff Clements, who lives near Harvard Square, said he thought Cambridge has a good government which is, by and large, \u201cresponsive to the needs of the people who live here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think of Cambridge as being a cliche of heavy-handed regulation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Despite his disapproval of the board\u2019s proposed rules, Harrison, co-owner of State Park, has also had positive experiences with the city. \u201cWe have a good relationship with the alcohol board. We\u2019ve asked them for help and oversight, and tips with issues we\u2019ve had before.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe city is pretty cool,\u201d he conceded. \u201cMost people get it. It\u2019s a minority that want these changes in place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaking for the city, Warnick said that the licensing commission would host two more feedback sessions in July before a yet-to-be-scheduled meeting in August.<\/p>\n

Read more Tasty Meatless Morsels at Lulu Green<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Is Cambridge getting more lax about liquor? Two policies are telling two different stories. Read more Mass. high court strikes rent control question from ballot New public drinking permissions during the World Cup suggest a more laissez-faire approach. But the same Cambridge department that fast-tracked the state\u2019s idea to extend bar hours and offer alcohol […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":431,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[14,92],"class_list":["post-432","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-government","tag-cambridge-city-council","tag-food-drink"],"yoast_head":"\nA tale of two liquor laws - Cambridge Moving Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/?p=432\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A tale of two liquor laws - Cambridge Moving Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Is Cambridge getting more lax about liquor? Two policies are telling two different stories. Read more Mass. high court strikes rent control question from ballot New public drinking permissions during the World Cup suggest a more laissez-faire approach. But the same Cambridge department that fast-tracked the state\u2019s idea to extend bar hours and offer alcohol […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/?p=432\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Cambridge Moving Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-24T18:33:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cambridgemovinghub.com\\\/?p=432#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cambridgemovinghub.com\\\/?p=432\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cambridgemovinghub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5fd5ad832d9b2ddb71a83fd908922373\"},\"headline\":\"A tale of two liquor laws\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-24T18:33:04+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cambridgemovinghub.com\\\/?p=432\"},\"wordCount\":1296,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cambridgemovinghub.com\\\/?p=432#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cambridgemovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/7591367f9f80c9d4933c3faa64729f44.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Cambridge City Council\",\"Food + Drink\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Government\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/cambridgemovinghub.com\\\/?p=432#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cambridgemovinghub.com\\\/?p=432\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cambridgemovinghub.com\\\/?p=432\",\"name\":\"A tale of two liquor laws - Cambridge Moving Hub\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cambridgemovinghub.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cambridgemovinghub.com\\\/?p=432#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cambridgemovinghub.com\\\/?p=432#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cambridgemovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/7591367f9f80c9d4933c3faa64729f44.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-24T18:33:04+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cambridgemovinghub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5fd5ad832d9b2ddb71a83fd908922373\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cambridgemovinghub.com\\\/?p=432#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/cambridgemovinghub.com\\\/?p=432\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cambridgemovinghub.com\\\/?p=432#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cambridgemovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/7591367f9f80c9d4933c3faa64729f44.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cambridgemovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/7591367f9f80c9d4933c3faa64729f44.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":2022},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cambridgemovinghub.com\\\/?p=432#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cambridgemovinghub.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"A tale of two liquor laws\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cambridgemovinghub.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cambridgemovinghub.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Cambridge Moving Hub\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cambridgemovinghub.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cambridgemovinghub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5fd5ad832d9b2ddb71a83fd908922373\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/cambridgemovinghub.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cambridgemovinghub.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A tale of two liquor laws - Cambridge Moving Hub","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/?p=432","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"A tale of two liquor laws - Cambridge Moving Hub","og_description":"Is Cambridge getting more lax about liquor? Two policies are telling two different stories. Read more Mass. high court strikes rent control question from ballot New public drinking permissions during the World Cup suggest a more laissez-faire approach. But the same Cambridge department that fast-tracked the state\u2019s idea to extend bar hours and offer alcohol […]","og_url":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/?p=432","og_site_name":"Cambridge Moving Hub","article_published_time":"2026-06-24T18:33:04+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/?p=432#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/?p=432"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/5fd5ad832d9b2ddb71a83fd908922373"},"headline":"A tale of two liquor laws","datePublished":"2026-06-24T18:33:04+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/?p=432"},"wordCount":1296,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/?p=432#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/7591367f9f80c9d4933c3faa64729f44.jpg","keywords":["Cambridge City Council","Food + Drink"],"articleSection":["Government"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/?p=432#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/?p=432","url":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/?p=432","name":"A tale of two liquor laws - Cambridge Moving Hub","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/?p=432#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/?p=432#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/7591367f9f80c9d4933c3faa64729f44.jpg","datePublished":"2026-06-24T18:33:04+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/5fd5ad832d9b2ddb71a83fd908922373"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/?p=432#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/?p=432"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/?p=432#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/7591367f9f80c9d4933c3faa64729f44.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/7591367f9f80c9d4933c3faa64729f44.jpg","width":2560,"height":2022},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/?p=432#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"A tale of two liquor laws"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/","name":"Cambridge Moving Hub","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/5fd5ad832d9b2ddb71a83fd908922373","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com"],"url":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/432","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=432"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/432\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/431"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=432"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=432"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=432"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}