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Bottle-Keep Service Comes to Boston

A new restaurant will soon be opening in Downtown Crossing and with a unique service that will set it apart from other options in the city. Mast’ Restaurant located at 145 Province Street will have a bottle-keep service, which according to general manager Nicholas Garoufalis does not exist anywhere else in the city.

A bottle-keep service allows patrons to store unfinished bottles of liquor at the restaurant in their name for future use. The bottle will be kept in the name of the purchaser at the restaurant and can also be gifted to other friends. This service is seen in other parts of the country and is popular oversees in places like Japan.

204 C.M.R. 2.18 allows a section 12 licensee to reseal a bottle of wine for a purchaser to take off the premises. The regulation does not address liquors, or resealing to keep at the licensed premises.

204-4.03 prohibits certain practices which are close to the bottle-keep service but are factually different. These include:

(a) offer or deliver any free drinks to any person or group of persons;

(b) deliver more than two drinks to one person at one time;

(c) sell, offer to sell or deliver to any person or group of persons any
drinks at a price less than the price regularly charged for such drinks
during the same calendar week, except at private functions not open to
the public;

(d) sell, offer to sell or deliver to any person an unlimited number of
drinks during any set period of time for a fixed price, except at private
functions not open to the public;

(e) sell, offer to sell or deliver drinks to any person or group of
persons on any one day at prices less than those charged the general
public on that day, except at private functions not open to the public;

(f) sell, offer to sell or deliver malt beverages or mixed drinks by the
pitcher except to two or more persons at any one time;

(g) increase the volume of alcoholic beverages contained in a drink
without increasing proportionately the price regularly charged for such
drink during the same calendar week;

(h) encourage or permit, on the licensed premises, any game or contest
which involves drinking or the awarding of drinks as prizes.

The difference is that Mast’ will likely keep a regular price list for the bottle, only provide one drink from the bottle at a time, and possibly keep the price per drink in proportion to the single drink prices. Because this service differs slightly from bottle service it may cause change to how the licensing board views these services and how restaurants offer them.

The novelty of the service, and potentially the popularity of it, will determine whether it catches on at other Boston restaurants.