I write to express some concerns about the 4:00 AM closure requested by the IHOP in Harvard Square. While this is not a liquor license and it is not a residential area, there is, I think, a valid concern that one 4:00 AM closing will lead to other establishments looking for similar closings to be 'competitive.' This spread of late closings could easily impact local residential areas as owners jockey for the late night dining crowd. I have heard that very argument used many times for liquor licenses seeking a 2:00 AM closing. I also worry that if Harvard Square becomes the place for food for everyone leaving the bars at 2:00 and the private parties at 3:00 in the morning, we'll find that we have created more problems than we have solved, with loud and disruptive people walking, and possibly driving (the T does not run that late), to and from Harvard Square for something to eat. I don't think it's a stretch to say that many people looking to eat at 2:30 or 3:00 AM will have been drinking and that subtlety and respect for neighbors will not be high on the priority list at the time.
On the other hand, I also understand the magic of an all-night or late-night diner. The Dunkin' Donuts and Gourmet Express in Porter Square add something to the neighborhood for their late hours and I have never heard any complaints about their early morning patrons. I realize that Harvard students, or MIT students or just plain people looking to have a bite to eat at 3:30 would like to have some options and I can appreciate that.
I ask that when you look at this application, you consider what trends we might be setting and what greater problems we might be creating. If you grant the license, I ask that you craft a set of conditions and reviews that ensure that the 4:00 AM closure is not something that will last long if the clientele are problematic. I also ask that you clarify, before you grant the license (if you do so), what a 4:00 AM closure here will mean for other establishments, both liquor and just food. Will this be the first of many? Will we try to cluster them? Will we try to spread them out, but keep them away from residential areas?
This is a not a clear-cut issue as, in my opinion, most 2 AM bar closings are, and I trust that you will come to the best decision you can.
Many thanks.
Craig Kelley
Cambridge City Council
6 St. Gerard Terrace
Cambridge, MA 02140
617-354-8353 (home)
617-349-4280 (Council office)