WORCESTER – Two weeks after the Worcester Beer Garden’s liquor license was suspended, city officials waived the serving of the suspension after learning that the Franklin Street bar and eatery has closed for the winter.
“Disappointing sales” and an operating loss last winter played into the decision, Beer Garden Manager of Record Joseph Donovan explained to commissioners during their meeting on Thursday.
The decision to operate seasonally was independent of the suspension which was to be served Nov. 3, 10 and 17, Donovan said. The remaining four days of the suspension were held in abeyance and would likely be served if there were additional violations in the future.
The Beer Garden closed for the winter Oct. 31, Donovan said.
In mid-October, the license commission ruled that the bar had violated rules of operation when the crowd manager failed to log safety checks for several days. Police discovered the issues during a separate investigation into an unrelated alleged incident, though they said nothing more about that investigation during the hearing.
They also discovered that the liquor license displayed inside the business had expired in 2022.
The Beer Garden saw a decline in business during previous winters, when its outside patio isn’t used and foot traffic downtown is impacted by the weather. In the summer, the doors are opened to the patio, there is often live music, sports events on big screen televisions and dogs and their owners sitting near outdoor heaters.
Donovan said it was hoped that the bar would see a post-Labor Day uptick in business and would be bolstered by private event bookings during the winter months, but that didn’t happen.
“We made the independent decision to close the business seasonally,” Donovan said, adding that it’s hoped the Beer Garden will reopen in late April or early May of 2024.
Kim Ring fell into journalism in the 1980s as a correspondent at the Telegram & Gazette and eventually left her initial career to pursue reporting full time. In her years of writing she has penned articles for several Massachusetts-based publications, taking a brief hiatus to work as chief of staff for a state representative. She can be reached at Kimringwrites@gmail.com
