As reported here a few weeks ago, the Massachusetts Legislature has now officially passed a new liquor law allowing restaurants to serve alcohol on Sundays starting at 10:00 a.m. instead of at noon. However, most restaurants cannot legally serve drinks before noon this Sunday. Local licensing boards will have to authorize restaurants before they can begin serving alcohol at 10 a.m, and it is unlikely that restaurants will be able to take advantage of the change this weekend. Restaurants must seek an amendment to their current license in order to begin serving alcohol at 10 a.m.
Once fully up and running, this change should be a boon to restaurants serving brunch, for customers wanting to enjoy a mimosa or bloody mary with Sunday brunch. As the Globe reports, two more hours of drink sales during brunch will likely bring in thousands of extra dollars per week for some restaurants and millions annually to the state through the 6 and 1/4 % meals tax.
