Selectmen Will Hold Hearing to Revoke Brutole's Liquor License

The owners of the former Brutole Restaurant have not paid the past due liquor license renewal fee or outstanding electric, water and sewer bills as demanded by the Danvers Board of Selectmen in March.

The selectmen last month brought Brutole before the board after the restaurant closed in February without telling Town Hall. The owners still owed $4,000 for the license renewal and $12,000 in utility bills. 

The selectmen agreed to give the owners 30 days to pay for the license renewal and utility bills. If those were paid, the owners would also need to find a buyer of the liquor license within six months.

Town Manager Wayne Marquis informed the selectmen on Tuesday that the bills have still not been paid.

After consultation with Marquis, who spoke to town counsel, the selectmen agreed to hold a public hearing on May 8. At that time, the owners can go before the board and the selectmen will vote on suspending or revoking Brutole’s liquor license.

Marquis said scheduling a public hearing rather than taking swift action on Tuesday puts Danvers in a the stronger position to defend the selectmen’s actions to the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission and fight any possible appeal.

Selectmen Chairman Gardner Trask said Brutole’s owners failed in a number of different areas.

“Even if they pay now, it doesn’t wash away the experience that we’ve had,” said Trask.

Selectwoman Diane Langlais said the situation is terrible because Danvers might lose out on the liquor license for two or three years if the owners appeal the selectmen’s decision to the ABCC. She suggested Danvers officials review the town’s liquor license guidelines in the summer so that a similar situation doesn’t happen.