The flood of new liquor licenses coming down the pipeline over the next three years continues to bring out new and interesting applications, including the Franklin Park Zoo and a long-time diner on Bowdoin Street.

After years of battling for additional liquor licenses from the Legislature, Boston leaders found success last summer in getting 225 new all alcohol and beer and wine licenses over the next three years – some of which are tied to zip codes and some of which are citywide.

The new opportunity has brought out several existing businesses who are looking to make their operations easier, or to expand their existing offerings. City leaders won’t review applications until after Dec. 1 and will award the first tranche based on merit and public need – but many— like the Zoo are looking to get in line early.

“We end up getting a lot of one-day licenses right now,” said Zoo New England’s CEO John Linehan. “It’s operationally inefficient and getting one requires a long waiting period so anyone that wants to hold an event here on short notice is out of luck…If we are granted a license, we’ll have some big hurdles removed from us in having to apply for one-days…We’re excited about it and when the new licenses started coming out, we were excited to apply.”

The Zoo has already had a hearing at the License Board and was given a vote of approval in late October. That approval awaits further review.
Linehan said they have large events like Boo at the Zoo, and especially the Boston Lights exhibit, which attracted more than 6,000 people on its final night alone earlier this month. All those events require advance notice and lots of paperwork that could be eliminated. He noted they apply for more than 100 one-day licenses per year now.

“It’s going to make a real difference in what we do here already,” he said, noting that they will look at other opportunities in the future, but will focus on existing events for now.

“There is a lot of heartache and unknowns when we’re getting the one-day licenses through the Board and wondering if we’ll be approved,” he said.

Meanwhile, the owners of One Family Diner at 260 Bowdoin St. held an abutter’s meeting late last month to discuss their intention to seek a beer and wine license to offer brunch and perhaps a dinner menu. Manny and Rachel Silveira took over the diner from Rachel’s mother, and the family has operated the diner for 20 years. Previously, other owners operated Ashley’s Coffee Shop, which was also there for 20 years or more.

Attorney Carolyn Conway said the Silveiras want to grow their breakfast and lunch business with the new license. “We’re seeking a beer and wine licenses pursuant to the new legislation everyone is talking about,” said Conway. “We’re interested in expanding the restaurant slowly. We would like to have a beer and wine so the restaurant could have mimosas and expand into a brunch menu and also expand our lunch menu and hopefully go into a dinner menu.”

One Family’s owners have already upgraded the building’s exterior using city grants and its own resources to put a fresh new paint job and new signage for the entire building, which also houses Cesaria Restaurant. The diner mostly serves breakfast very early in the morning, and transitions to Trinidadian food for lunch. The hope is they can amplify what they do now on the back of a beer and wine license.

“We believe we are perfect for the new legislation to allow neighborhood businesses to provide and offer beer and wine so they can expand their offerings to the neighborhood,” said Conway.

Neighbor and community leader Davida Andelman said she fully supports the idea.

“I can think of no other business in the Bowdoin-Geneva neighborhood business district that would be more appropriate than One Family to take advantage of the expansion with neighborhood businesses being able to sell alcoholic beverages,” she said.

One Family has already met with Meetinghouse Hill Civic, and the Greater Bowdoin-Geneva Civic Association.