Who Wants a Full Liquor Restaurant License? The City Has 1

The city has one all-alcohol license available for a restaurant or other business in Peabody looking to serve drinks.

Martino Appeals to State Over Denial of Beer and Wine License

Frank Martino has appealed the city Licensing Board's decision to deny him a beer and wine package store license.

As expected, Frank Martino and the city are heading to Boston Dec. 5 over Martino's Route 1 package store and deli. Martino, through attorney John Keilty, has appealed the Peabody Licensing Board's denial of a beer and wine license for the store to the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission. The city board denied the request last month, questioning Martino's sincerity to operate a package store in Peabody. The board then met in executive session Nov. 19 to discuss legal strategy with City Solicitor Michael Smerczynski. The main reason for the Licensing Board's reticence to grant Martino a license was because he had just sold his full liquor license Trader Joe's for a tidy profit less than a year after receiving it from the city (at a …

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City Liquor Board Denies New License for Martino's

Liquor board denies Martino a new beer and wine license to replace the full liquor license he just sold to Trader Joe's and questions his sincerity to operate a package store.

Peabody liquor licensing authorities sent Frank Martino away empty-handed Monday night, questioning his sincerity to operate a package store in the city. The main reason for the Licensing Board's reticence to grant Martino a license was because he just sold his full liquor license for a tidy profit less than a year after receiving it from the city (at a fraction of the cost), and was now asking for a new license to replace that one. That did not sit well with board members; in fact, it was yet another unique factor to the situation -- Martino sold his license for $205,000 to Trader Joe's. "We've never had somebody give up a license and the same day ask for another one," said board member Charles Holden. He noted that the board was …

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Martino Before Liquor Board Tonight for New License

Licensing Board members harshly criticized Frank Martino this summer for profiting from the sale of his liquor license and now seeking another one from the city for package store.

Frank Martino will be back before Peabody liquor authorities tonight to seek a new beer and wine license for his package store on Route 1 South. Martino has sold his full liquor license to Trader Joe's, which will soon be stocking the shelves of its Peabody store with beer, wine and liquor, assuming the Licensing Board sees no reason to not approve the license transfer. While board members have no problem with the Route 114 grocer selling alcohol, they do have a problem with Martino. That's because he obtained a new license from the city last year -- the only remaining all-alcohol package store license the city held -- and then went and sold it for a locally record-setting price, $205,000, to Trader Joe's. Martino will now be back before …

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Move Over Spinach, Make Room for Alcohol

Trader Joe's received OK from City Council Thursday night to hold package store license to sell specialty beer, wine and liquors.

Without much ado, city councilors agreed Thursday night to let Trader Joe's obtain a package store license for its Route 114 location. Councilors voted 9-1 to approve a special permit that allows the grocery store to seek or obtain an all-alcohol license for retail sales. Only Michael Garabedian voted against the petition, but did not explain his vote during the public hearing. Councilor Bob Driscoll, a self-professed Trader Joe's fan -- just wanted to know one thing: "I'm just wondering where you're going to put the spinach," he asked with a smile. Attorney Andrew Upton, chuckling, said "I am assured by senior management that we will continue to sell spinach." Upton showed the council plans that only contained minimal changes to the …

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Bob Croce

12:46 pm on Friday, September 28, 2012

It was definitely the correct vote by the city council last night. Trader Joe's is the type of responsible business that we all want to see thrive in Peabody. But to Councilor Gravel's comments, is there a way to change the rules to keep business owners from using our licensing process to heap huge profits? The Frank Martino situation looks like "spilled milk" at this point, but shouldn't we try …   more ›

Trader Joe's Alcohol Permit on Tap for City Council Thursday

The City Council will hold a public hearing to decide whether to allow the supermarket to sell packaged alcohol or not.

Trader Joe's will be before the Peabody City Council Thursday night for a special permit to allow the store on Route 114 to sell packaged alcohol. There are seven zoning districts in Peabody where package store sales are allowed – Trader Joe’s is Regional Business – and all require a special permit from the council. If the council signs off on the permit, next up is the Licensing Board for a hearing on the transfer of the license from Martino's Liquors to Trader Joe's. Martino's is selling the all-alcohol retail license to Trader Joe's for a locally record-setting $205,000, which has raised some eyebrows. The means by which the state effectively prohibits supermarkets, such as Trader Joe's, from selling alcohol is by restricting the amount…

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Plan to Profit on License and Seek Another Raises Concerns for Liquor Board

Martino's Liquors is selling its package store license to Trader Joe's while simultaneously seeking just a beer and wine license to replace it.

It’s allowed under state law, but Frank Martino may have an uphill battle in front of him now that he’s selling his liquor license for a tidy profit and hoping to get a beer and wine license from the city to replace it. Martino, who owns Martino’s Liquors & NY Deli on Route 1, has an agreement with Trader Joe’s to sell his full liquor package store license for a local record $205,000. While asking the Peabody Licensing Board to approve that transfer, he’s simultaneously asking for the lesser package store license. Both points have raised some eyebrows on the board. Board member Charles Holden told attorneys John Keilty and Andrew Upton, who were representing Martino and Trader Joe’s Monday night, he questioned whether it was an ethical …

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Trader Joe's Shells Out $205K for Package Store License

The Peabody store on Route 114 will soon be selling beer, wine and other types of alcohol if city officials approve.

Trader Joe's has agreed to shell out $205,000 for a liquor license so it can stock vodka, beer, wine, high-end liquers and other alcoholic beverages at its Peabody store. The supermarket, which is located on Route 114, is purchasing the all-alcohol package store license from Frank Martino, who owns Martino's Liquors & NY Deli on Route 1 South. Martino is then planning to seek one of the beer and wine package store licenses the city holds, according to Licensing Board Clerk Julie Rydzewski. The high sale price does set a new record in Peabody -- previously the record was at $135,000 for the full liquor restaurant license the Cheesecake Factory bought in 2007 from the owner of the former Collins Cafe. Liquor licenses are treated and held by …

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Italian Eatery OK'd for Liquor; Slated to Open Mid-September

Scosso will seat 200 indoors and include a patio for outdoor dining.

Anthony Cavallo was in and out within 15 minutes and with the OK for a full liquor license from the city's Licensing Board last week. Cavallo, the president of North Shore Food Group, LLC and owner of Venetian Moon Ristorante in Reading, is planning on opening a similar style Italian eatery at the Northshore Mall. He said he is planning for a mid-September opening. The new eatery, which will have a full bar, is called "Scosso" and will take over the vacant space left by Bertucci's when it closed in 2009. Cavallo said the restaurant will have seating for 200 inside over two levels, as Bertucci's did, plus 30 seats outdoors for seasonal dining. He said the look and feel of Scosso will be similar but different than the Venetian Moon. The …

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Liquor Board Serves 3 Restaurants With Suspensions of Their Licenses

Three Peabody restaurants received suspensions of their alcohol licenses for failing a recent alcohol compliance check and serving beer to minors.

The city's liquor board handed out penalties to three restaurants Monday night that recently failed an alcohol sting by serving beer to minors. Toscana's Ristorante was served with a three-day suspension because of a prior violation two years ago. The board and the restaurant's owner agreed on July 2-4 to observe the penalty. In this case and in the other six violations that occurred during the April 23 compliance check by police officers and underage operatives, one of the operatives entered the restaurant and ordered a beer (usually Bud Lite or Corona) without being asked to show his or her ID. In all seven cases, the restaurants proactively began training or re-training staff on proper protocol for serving alcohol. Most of the owners …

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