In the reshaping of local restaurant and bar licensing, the later last calls that revelers enjoyed during the World Cup appear to have been taken off the menu. The opportunity for cities and towns to create “conviviality districts” with to-go cups of adult beverages could still happen.
A Cambridge City Council order June 22 looked for ways to make later closing hours and more outdoor drinking permanent after a good experience with the June 11-July 19 soccer tournament watch parties. Somerville is exploring some rule changes too.
While Somerville didn’t have to-go adult drinks during the World Cup, like Cambridge it took advantage of temporary state laws that were signed by the governor June 8 and let licensees pour an extra hour, until 3 a.m., if they applied. Neither city felt they had to revoke the extra hours for bad behavior…