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Board continues contentious Western Avenue cafe request for on‑site cooking and alcohol to Oct. 24
Summary
A long-running variance petition to allow a small Western Avenue cafe to cook on-site and seek alcohol service was continued to Oct. 24 after neighbors raised concerns about trash, rats, ventilation, smoke and parking; the board required the applicant to submit detailed kitchen/exhaust, trash and operational plans and to post a new notice.
Owners of the small Western Avenue cafe asked the board to lift a 2010 condition that barred cooking on the premises and limited operations to a cafe menu. The current management sought permission for a hood and the ability to cook on-site (which would also be a prerequisite for some forms of alcohol service). Manager Luis Hugo and owner (who identified himself as Zafawaz) said the business has operated for 12 years and currently prepares food at a separate Mass Ave location and brings it to Western Avenue; they said on‑site cooking and a hood would ease logistics and allow modest menu expansion.
Neighbors submitted multiple letters opposing the change, citing concerns about increased trash and rodent activity, parking pressure, smoke and outdoor drinking. Mayor Denise Simmons submitted a letter in strong support of the variance. Board members pressed the applicant for missing technical details — including an exhaust path to the roof, pollution‑control equipment for a fryer, a waste management plan and clarification of hours — and concluded the record lacked the level of detail needed for a final vote. The board voted to continue the matter to Oct. 24 and required the applicant to sign a statutory waiver, update the posted notice with the new date, and file any new submittals by the Monday before the continued hearing.
