MA Taprooms re-opening - Phase 2 or 3?

Ok, here’s some clarification in this article.

https://www.boston.com/news/coronavirus/2020/06/02/massachusetts-reopening-plan-phase-2

The updated guidance also clarifies that beer gardens, breweries, wineries, and distilleries will be allowed to reopen during Phase 2 — like restaurants — if they provide (and are licensed to provide) seated food service. The administration plans to allow outdoor dining at the beginning of Phase 2, followed by restricted indoor dining later in the phase.

But if beer gardens and breweries do not have table service, they effectively are treated like bars, which aren’t allowed to open until Phase 4.


Sort of good news. The question is, which ones are licensed to provide seated food service?

This also eliminates food trucks as being a way to open in Phase 2.

The food stipulation really is arbitrary. In fact, one could argue it would be better if people WEREN’T eating regarding the spread of the virus.

 

I wonder if someone on a brewery staff could run food truck orders to tables. Are food trucks in general currently open?

 

Those are both good questions.

I don’t see why it’s not possible. But I figure the hang up might be the part about being “licensed to provide seated food service”.

 

I agree with the strange obsession with food service. I would think that the real issue here is bar service. I've written here before about my experience in Spain, and now in Madrid we are hopefully entering "Phase 2" next week, which will allow for bars/restaurants to open with table-service only at 50% capacity. During Phase 1, places with terraces could open, again with 50% capacity. The argument here is that bar service is inherently more contagion-spreading, and so customers would be forced to sit at tables and order from waitstaff. However, there has been no distinguishing between establishments that serve food and those that don't.

Perhaps in Massachusetts these breweries should setup some tables and buy a wheel of cheese, you can certainly serve food without a kitchen.

Anyway, glad to hear things are hopefully improving over there. It's been a long path over here.

 

I'm guessing the obstacle is being "licensed to provide seated food service" kind of implies the need for a kitchen or at least food prep area. The taprooms I've been to with just small packaged provisions will pass these over the bar, and I suspect there would be no reason for a taproom to seek this license previously.

 

Right. And I imagine they might all be scrambling to get this seated food service license. And we all know MA isn't the quickest with the license process...

I'm also thinking of places like Lovejoy Wharf. Is it even worth it for them to open up that small patio for food service?

A place like CBC might open though, their patio is a decent size.

 

That is such a profoundly goddamn stupid way of categorizing businesses for reopening and I have not heard of a single other state in the country doing it that way.

 

I certainly hope CBC opens, I'm kinda counting on that. Bummed that a place like Jack's Abby with its giant beerhall can't open for another 3+ weeks despite having the ability to space people pretty well. Hell, they were doing it before the shutdown. Maybe they can take over that street and sidewalk? Would be fairly easy to block that off for certain hours every day. I don't know, I'm grasping at straws here. Unfortunately its Mass, so even the paper straws here suck.

 

I wonder if Jack's will try to use some of the parking lot spaces or create an arrangement to do so.

 

MA doing things differently isn't new during this pandemic.

They were also the only licensed state for recreational marijuana that was closed to sales. Claiming it was because people would come out of state to purchase it. Which is dumb, they have to card you multiple times before entering. Only sell to MA residents...simple.

While I mostly agree with you, indoors is far different than outdoors regarding the spread of the virus.

Even though a bierhall has lots of open space, it's not the same. It spreads far easier indoors. Moreover, there have been numerous studies that showed how quickly it can spread through A/C systems...and it's summer, so...

Masks can reduce that risk, but people won't be wearing masks when they're eating or drinking. At my company we've been required to wear masks at all times when inside. Except when eating or drinking. But it's not a restaurant/bar, everyone seated isn't eating/drinking all day.

 

This might have been covered above, so if so, my bad.

Last night WCVB News gave these timelines for Phases 2 & 3:

Phase 2: June 8 (if numbers stay on target)
Phase 3: June 29 (if numbers stay on target)
Phase 4: ?

My mind is all over the place. One minute, I'm thinking, "let's open stuff in some capacity NOW." The next minute, I'm thinking, "no--let's be careful. Be patient." Other times, these thoughts are in my head at the same time which results in a stew of frustration, restlessness, anger, confusion, and anxiety.

I live down the road from RI which has open places to eat and drink, but we just haven't pulled the trigger. I guess my default mode is to wait. I just don't know.

 

MA seems to be doing this as poorly as possible. Treating the state as one zone just seems dumb. Boston/Cambridge/Somerville are much different than the rest of the state. NY figured that out, hell even Maine is looking county by county. MA has the data, they should use it.

 

While I agree that most of this seems arbitrary, I don't think it's accurate to say that breweries that serve food are being treated differently than those that don't; rather breweries with kitchens are being treated the same as restaurants. If the Phase 2 plan said restaurants can open with outdoor seating but if you also serve beer you can't, that would be even more nonsensical

 

MA beer fans rejoice...the one caveat is Saturday's announcement. That is when they'll announce if they're starting Phase 2 Monday or not.

https://www.boston.com/food/coronavirus/2020/06/03/when-will-mass-breweries-beer-gardens-open

"When the state’s reopening timeline for businesses was first released, breweries, wineries, and distilleries were noticeably absent on the list. But a recently updated version now indicates that beer fans hoping to enjoy a cold one at a beer garden this summer won’t have to wait much longer: beer gardens, breweries, wineries, and distilleries will now open in Phase 2, as long as the business provides seated food service under retail food permits issued by municipal authorities.

For brewery owners who already own a retail food permit — even if it’s just to sell hot pretzels or coffee — the announcement comes as a relief."

 

From the perspective of someone working in the BioPharm industry who also pours through tons of studies and data, I'm personally waiting.

Each phase that opens up I'm waiting a couple weeks before dipping my toes in the water.

Hopefully Baker keeps his word and waits to see if there's two weeks of a decline in cases/deaths before beginning the next phase (and of course there's the minimum three weeks in between phases as well).

As I've said before, nothing has really changed except that we've shut down to get this under control. That's the only weapon we have right now against the virus. Each phase we go through we're decreasing the effectiveness of that weapon.

Think of it as battling a fire...

Phase 1: A fire hose

Phase 2: A garden house

Phase 3: A squirt gun

Phase 4: I guess you can try spitting...and just hope the fire is out at this point

 

I saw a social media post from Medusa sounding like they were preparing an outdoor beer garden in Hudson to potentially open as soon as next Thursday (6/11), so it appears there has been a change of tone for Phase 2.

 

Yeah, yesterday Cape Cod Beer reposted their plan to open their beer garden on Tuesday (6/9) and I don't recall them having a kitchen or food service beyond a truck or hot dog stand.

 

Yup, the article said food trucks would apply here. That will open up many opportunities.

I still think many will wait until Phase 3 because their outdoor space isn't large enough to be profitable.

Bear in mind the outdoor spaces will require seating, and they will be spaced apart. So they won't be at capacity, and people won't be standing around drinking at a barrel like they normally do in outdoor spaces.