Cambridge City Council Opposes One-Drink-Per-30-Minutes Limit, Calls for Review

The Cambridge City Council voted Monday to formally oppose proposed updates to the city’s liquor licensing regulations that would limit patrons to one alcoholic drink every 30 minutes, referring the issue to a committee for public review.

An amended policy order directs the city manager to develop a more transparent and inclusive public engagement process for future changes to Cambridge’s liquor licensing regulations, while signaling the Council’s opposition to rules it says would place unnecessary burdens on restaurants and bars.

The decision comes as Cambridge is simultaneously expanding alcohol service for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations, allowing approved businesses to sell to-go drinks in designated public consumption zones and extending their hours of alcohol sale.

The updates were circulated by the Cambridge License Commission in a May draft, which was shared with licensed businesses. Councilor Timothy R. Flaherty said the commission’s proposal prompted an outcry of criticism from restaurant owners and residents over both the changes themselves and the way they were introduced.

“All of us here in this chamber, we’ve all received multiple calls, multiple emails, multiple text messages from our friends in the service industry, bar owners, restaurant owners,” he said.

Councilor Marc C. McGovern criticized the practicality of enforcing the proposed rule, questioning how restaurant and bar staff could realistically track individual patrons’ drink orders while managing busy service.

“I think this is nuts,” he said. “I don’t even understand how you would make this work.”

With beverage sales critical to many establishments’ financial sustainability, Councilor E. Denise Simmons said the proposed regulations could further strain Cambridge’s restaurant industry.

”Many restaurants are working with very slim margins, and beverage service is one of the few areas that helps them stay viable,” Simmons said.

Councilor Patricia M. “Patty” Nolan ’80 said the lack of public engagement before the proposal’s release undermined confidence in the rulemaking process.

“I do think it surprised a lot of members of the community, as well as the City Council, that these rules were put forward, even in draft form, without a transparent, open, comprehensive process,” she said.

Existing regulations had not been reviewed since 2016. Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui said that the commission’s effort to revise the rules was prompted by changes in state law and an evolving hospitality industry. Still, she said, many stakeholders were caught off guard.

“They did come as a surprise to most of us, all of us. And so I do think there was some missing, a lot of missing communication,” Siddiqui said.

The License Commission published an annotated version of the original proposal last week that incorporates early feedback from stakeholders. The edits state that several provisions — including the proposed drink-interval rules — are too restrictive and not feasible to implement or enforce in their current form.

While Nolan said she opposed increased regulations on businesses, she added that resident safety remained a priority as the liquor-licensing review process continues.

“We should continue to use ways to ensure that there’s public safety, but we don’t have to have any kind of new onerous regulations,” Nolan said.

The city is expected to hold a public hearing on the commission’s proposed changes later this summer.

—Staff writer Risha Sinha can be reached at [email protected] and on Signal at rishas.13.