Central Mass. by the Numbers
544
The status of the planned downtown location for the Shaking Crab, a Newton-based restaurant chain, is uncertain with the restaurant operator claiming their landlord's ventilation installation request is not acceptable to their engineer. During a status hearing at the License Commission, the Shaking Crab co-founder Kevin Duong said issues with installing ventilation that have delayed construction on the 544 Main St. site have not improved since the chain's last update to the commission on May 4. Duong said he was unsure about what his company's next steps would be for the site.
500
A poll of 500 Worcester residents commissioned by the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce found that 61% believe the city is going in the right direction, according to a Chamber news release Thursday. The Chamber released portions of a poll it commissioned in April of Worcester residents using data from the 2020 U.S. Census. The polled group said cost of living and crime were the two issues they were most concerned about. In total, 61% of those responding said the city was going in the right direction, 21% said it was headed in the wrong direction and 19% had no opinion.
142
Cannabis company Trulieve has started taking steps to shut down business operations in Massachusetts by the end of 2023. Trulieve maintains a dispensary on 142 Southbridge St., which will close along with its Northampton and Framingham locations by the end of the month. In a press release Thursday, the Florida-based company stated that exiting Massachusetts, as well as closing Nevada and certain California assets, are part of ongoing measures to “preserve cash and improve financial performance.” Last December, the company paid $14,502 to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in a settlement of a case regarding the death of Lorna McMurray, 27, who worked at its Holyoke processing facility.
40,000
A contractor broke ground last week to build a 40,000-square-foot plant for a pharmaceuticals manufacturing company in Northbridge. The building will be home to EyePoint Pharmaceuticals, a Watertown-headquartered company that will lease the building for eye disease drug treatment development and delivery. The property is owned by 600 CPK, LLC. Slated for completion in late 2024, the building will have pharmaceutical production suites, chemistry and development laboratories, manufacturing support spaces and administrative spaces, according to Boylston-based contractor RP Masiello Inc., which is also building a 1 million-square-foot warehouse and manufacturing space in Sutton.
110
A mother is suing the 110 Grill restaurant in Braintree for more than $500,000, alleging that her 17-year-old daughter suffered an allergic reaction while eating at the restaurant, according to court documents. In a complaint filed in Norfolk Superior Court, Hayley Lopes of Braintree said her daughter ate at 110 Grill with her father and brother in October 2022. The brother and sister told the waiter that they both suffer from life-threatening allergies to foods including peanuts, dairy and eggs. The 110 Grill chain has more than 35 locations in New England, including Worcester.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Business Matters: Central Mass. by the Numbers
