After months of review, Natick is moving to relax its alcohol policies. What to know

NATICK — The Select Board is moving forward with a plan to revisit the town’s alcohol policies, deliberating changes that could make Natick more welcoming to new restaurants and businesses.

The board voted earlier this month to sponsor two fall Town Meeting articles, seeking to eliminate seating requirements for liquor license holders — the first of many proposed changes coming down the pike.

Earlier: Natick mulls relaxing alcohol policies, opening door to more businesses

Over the past several months, an Alcohol Policy Working Group has been reviewing existing alcohol policies, conducting community outreach and suggesting changes.

As part of that work, the group surveyed 149 Natick residents, business owners and community members, most of whom said they were unhappy with current rules and regulations. Many spoke of a desire to attract more diverse restaurants and businesses to Natick — perhaps even a downtown bar.

What has the Select Board voted on so far?

During its Aug. 3 meeting, the board voted to sponsor two Town Meeting articles, essentially asking the state Legislature to allow Natick to eliminate seating requirements for on-premises liquor license holders.

Currently, malt and wine licensees are required to have at least 15 seats, while all-alcohol licensees must have 100 seats.

Related: 7 South Bottle + Kitchen is open in Natick. Here's what's on the menu

“The number of 100 seats seems arbitrary,” board member Kathryn Coughlin said during a June 15 meeting. “I don’t know why 100 makes it safer for the community if it’s an all-alcohol license, as opposed to beer and wine.”

Town Administrator Jamie Errickson said he did not know why the requirement was set at 100 specifically, but speculated that the rule was meant to encourage restaurants with tables, as opposed to only bar seating.

What other changes could Natick see?

Among other policies up for reconsideration is the town’s 35:65 alcohol to food ratio, which caps a licensee’s alcohol sales to 35% of gross sales. Opponents have argued that the policy discourages businesses from offering more expensive, higher end liquors.

“I’ve talked to some restaurant owners or people who own multiple restaurants that wanted to open a restaurant in Natick, and this and parking were two of the things that scared them away,” Coughlin said on June 15.

PHOTOS: Farm to table at Buttercup restaurant in Natick

The board will hold a public hearing on Aug. 24 to discuss eliminating the 35% policy, as well as other proposals.

Changes up for deliberation and decision would take immediate effect and have “near‐term impact on the Town’s attractiveness to new and expanding businesses that require on‐premises licenses to serve alcoholic beverages,” according to an Aug. 3 memo from Select Board Chair Paul Joseph, who has led the alcohol policy review.

According to the memo, additional proposals include:

• Establishing a BYOB license type for businesses that focus primarily on preparing and serving food, or some other non-food and beverage service (i.e. venues where guests can create arts and crafts);

• Requiring in-person responsibility and intervention training for servers at Natick businesses, but allowing servers working for caterers and similar businesses that fall under a one-day special permit to be certified online or virtually;

• Allowing businesses to serve draft beer in pitchers up to 64 ounces for parties of two or more. Groups larger than three people may order additional pitchers but may not exceed a ratio of one pitcher per three guests;

• Considering allowing licensees to offer either food prepared on-site and/or prepared/prepackaged food in addition to prepared food offered from an off-site vendor, such as a food truck.

What’s next?

The Select Board typically meets at 6:30 p.m. in the Edward H. Dlott Meeting Room at Town Hall. Natick Pegasus broadcasts sessions, and agendas with remote access information may be found online at naticktown.novusagenda.com/agendapublic/ in advance.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Natick moves forward with changes to alcohol policies: What's next?