Licensing Commission Chair Joe Lynch offered his insights into the Commission’s efforts to help alleviate some of the pain inflicted on local businesses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (file photo)

By Max Eidelman

On October 29, the Somerville Licensing Commission formally announced that it will waive the annual renewal licensing fees for businesses in the city’s hospitality industry. This decision was made pursuant to Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone’s request and is an integral part of the efforts to help small businesses through the upcoming winter.

In a recent interview, the Chair of the Licensing Commission, Joe Lynch, spoke about the decision to waive the renewal fees, and provided insight into the ongoing efforts to support Somerville’s hospitality business through the pandemic.

For some, the current situation of living with Covid-19 may seem routine by now, but each day is still an unprecedented test for local bars and restaurants. As Lynch explained, these businesses have perhaps experienced the most profound effect of the pandemic upon their activity, and the winter months will inevitably prove difficult to face.

However, acts of goodwill like the Commission’s decision to waive annual fees, the continued collaboration of Somerville’s departments, and the resolve of local restaurant owners and staff are all cause for having faith that Somerville’s hospitality industry will remain a staple of the community.

In his interview, Lynch explained that the waiving of renewal fees will save the hospitality industry over $500,000 and also save business owners from time spent towards the renewal process. Lynch and the Licensing Commission want to give the folks in the industry “every break they can get,” especially in advance of the winter months.

These tend to be tough months for restaurants in particular. The Licensing Commission’s page on the city government’s website has useful guides for restaurant operations during the winter and offers a glimpse at what the community may expect for the next few months.

However, Lynch explained that many restaurants are considering going into “hibernation” during the winter months and temporarily closing. Others will most likely focus on take-out/delivery options, given that January 11, 2021 is when the outdoor-seating option on public property will end. April 1 is the date currently set for the outdoor-seating option to re-open on public space.

Restaurants that already had take-out and delivery options before the pandemic have been able to pivot to the restrictions imposed upon the hospitality industry a bit more easily than those that didn’t. Lynch was truly sad to say, though, that many family-owned restaurants have had no other option but to close in response to the pandemic. This unfortunate fact demonstrates what’s at stake in efforts, such as the Commission’s waiving of renewal fees, to help sustain Somerville’s local hospitality business.

Lynch graded the overall efforts of the city’s departments and special groups during the pandemic with a B+. He spoke to the fact that, while there’s room for improvement, folks have risen to the task of creating plans for the hospitality industry to operate despite the circumstances.

He specifically mentioned Jess Willis, whom he described as a “superb representative” of Somerville’s local restaurant industry. Lynch said that Ms. Willis has been essential in communicating with the Licensing Commission on behalf of the working-group of local restaurants formed by Mayor Curtatone.

Earlier in June, this group circulated a set of recommendations for Somerville restaurants. This is just one example of the coordinated efforts of Somerville’s restaurants, and can be found on the city government’s website.

Of the restaurants themselves, Lynch gives a similar B+/A- grade to their compliance with the mandated protocol for safety and sanitation. He cited the fact that, to date, no formal adjudication has been necessary for a restaurant’s non-compliance. This is testament to the diligent efforts of local restaurant staff to safely provide the community with a means for socializing during the pandemic.

Despite successes such as these, restaurants have faced a tough task these past few months and the winter can only make it more difficult. Lynch said that one restaurant manager he recently spoke with has already had to shovel snow off an outdoor tent – a stark reminder that, difficult as outdoor seating might be to maintain in any restaurant, outdoor seating in New England is another challenge entirely.

As mentioned earlier, local restaurants will most likely focus on delivery/take-out options, but there are challenges inherent in these as well. One such challenge is contending with the exorbitant prices some third-party delivery services are imposing.

Lynch said that he’d heard of one instance of a company charging a 40% delivery fee to the restaurant, which is simply shameful considering that many of these local restaurants are fighting just to stay afloat.

There have been efforts in other states, such as California, to impose legislation on these delivery companies to limit the fees they can impose on restaurants. Lynch thinks that the most effective movement to get this through our legislature would have to come from members of the restaurant industry.

It is clear that the Licensing Commission has been working thoroughly and thoughtfully to help the hospitality industry through the pandemic in every way that it can. The Commission’s page on the Somerville government website provides many resources with specific information concerning restaurant protocol, and the specifics of the annual fee waiver can be found here too.

Throughout the interview, Lynch spoke highly of the restaurant workers’ efforts and the cooperation of all the people who are meeting the challenge of sustaining Somerville’s hospitality industry. As the winter will impose new difficulties on restaurants, it’s essential that the community continue to support local restaurants with business, and continue to practice the safety necessary for limiting the spread.