After a summer hiatus, the Fields Corner Civic Association convened via Zoom on Sept.10 to tackle a busy agenda, but the main item was a leftover slice of business that dominated the meeting: the proposed opening of a Papa John’s at 1501 Dorchester Ave. 

Ryan Gazda, an attorney for proponents Joe and Ralonda Johnson, explained that the pizzeria is seeking a common victualler’s (CV) license with no alcohol. The restaurant is requesting operating hours on Sunday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. and until 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. 

“I would ask that we take a vote this evening,” said Gazda. “My position would be that we had two dates for the abutters’ meeting. I understand that you took the summer off, but we have been attempting to meet with you all for about two months and this will not be the last opportunity for those in opposition to speak. For those in opposition, I ask you to submit your grievances to the Licensing Board.”

While a first abutters meeting was canceled, the second took place on the evening of Aug. 13, the same night that more than 500 people packed Florian Hall for a hearing on the proposed closing of Carney Hospital. Several attendees said they simply weren’t made aware of the abutters’ meeting. 

They included Brian Chavez, the owner and operator of Antonio’s Hi-Fi Pizzeria who has made his opposition clear.
“I’m a local business owner and resident of the neighborhood,” said Chavez. “I and the majority of community members oppose this specific proposal at this specific location. The opposition is that it does not meet a public need and will have an adverse effect on the public health and public welfare of the neighborhood.”

Benavidez Mejia of D’Benny’s Subs & More added that he doesn’t think Papa John’s would be “a true representation of the small business operators in the community.”

But Ralonda Johnson disagreed “We are a minority-owned multi-unit Papa John’s franchisee. The very first award we received was the Building Community Award in 2018 and that was for the impact we have on the communities in which we serve.”

She added: “We employ locally, we often pay higher wages, we offer competitive benefits, we create ownership opportunities, especially for local Dorchester residents, and we’ve used local contractors and service providers. If that’s not the bar for additive, I don’t know what is in terms of being additive to the community.”

Junior Pena, a Fields Corner resident and business owner, said he’s opposed to Papa John’s because the owners don’t live in Dorchester, or even in Massachusetts. 

“I am considered a local business,” said Pena, who opened Cibao Restaurant at 1487 Dorchester Ave. earlier this summer. “Brian Chavez is a local business owner, Christian Rosa (Rosa’s Liquors) is a small business owner.” 

During the meeting, Pena addressed Johnson, who lives in New Jersey, saying: “Just to say you guys are local business owners just to check off the box doesn’t make it so. It’s an insult to people like me and Brian and Mr. Rosa because we care about the community, we invest in the community that we both live and work in. To say you guys are small business owners is not honest.”

The Johnsons have argued that their franchise business is local because the shop’s manager, Charles Tabb, was born and raised in Dorchester. Tabb echoed that sentiment, saying: “I am the community. I went to Dorchester High, I went to Burke, I went to the English, I rode every bus, I live here now. If you guys are blocking me, you’re just blocking someone from the community.” 

Jackey West Devine, executive director of Fields Corner Main Streets, isn’t convinced the national fast-food chain aligns with the organization’s commitment to local investment. 

“Papa John’s has not been doing well in our neighborhood,” she said. “What happens when a small business fails, especially in the short term, is highly destabilizing to that storefront.”

Anthony Nguyen, one of Mayor Wu’s liaisons to Dorchester, explained that Papa John’s has followed the correct process of filing paperwork with the city, having an abutters’ meeting, and convening with the civic group. 

Alan Issokson, who owns H. Levenbaum Insurance Agency, said that has earned them the right to get a fair hearing from the Licensing Board.

“I would ask that everyone take a deep breath and consider where we are in the process,” said Issokson. “If these people meet the requirements for the CV, then they should be given a chance. The community will speak to whether or not this business should be supported. That community is not 40 signatures, it’s not 100 signatures; it’s hundreds of thousands of signatures. If they open and are successful God bless them and if not, too bad, sometimes that happens.”

Other residents used the virtual meeting’s chat function to weigh in. Christian Rosa wrote that “there are too many unknowns and bypassing of community involvement and regulations.” Specifically, he referenced the renovations that have already been done at the location.

“To see Papa John is already almost fully built and ready to open without the proper community involvement, input, and approval is disheartening,” he wrote.

After much back and forth, Fields Corner Civic Association treasurer, Hiep Chu agreed that voting should be postponed.

“We are not going to vote or anything like that,” said Chu. “We are not going to approve or oppose tonight. We need to regroup ourselves and get back to everyone who participated in this meeting and the city about what will be our next step in the next seven days.”

The group also postponed a decision to approve or oppose the extended delivery hours of the McDonald’s at 500 Geneva Ave. The request is to extend delivery hours from midnight to 3 a.m. Gazda said that many McDonalds across the city have already implemented these hours. Critics on the call worried that the late-night hours might cause more problems with scooters and drug use. 

A much smaller slice of the meeting was set aside to discuss the new ownership of the former Blarney Stone. Attorney Jennifer Allen explained that the new restaurant, which will be called Acapella’s, will offer modern international cuisine. The business hopes to keep the same hours and entertainment license that Blarney Stone had. Unlike the project just a door down to its right, this request was quickly approved by the civic group.