License Panel Creates New Bar License Category
The Lowell License Commission voted 4-1 to create a new bar-only liquor license, aiming to close a loophole letting some restaurants operate as de facto nightclubs.
Other Committee · Meeting of August 13, 2026
LOWELL — The Lowell License Commission voted 4-1 to create a new bar-only liquor license, aiming to close a loophole letting some restaurants operate as de facto nightclubs. Chair Joseph Donahue presided as the panel also approved, 5-0, a beer-and-wine license for Mestiza Latin Kitchen Corp. at 491 Dutton Street, after a 2-3 vote rejected delaying the decision amid residents' objections about a shared condo lobby. The city solicitor said the bar-license push followed a June 28 incident in which a licensee allegedly admitted patrons as young as 14; Tesco Center licensee Ernesto Lugo now faces two compliance hearings September 3.
Commissioner Krieger, who voted against the new license category, pushed to lower a proposed food-revenue threshold from 40 percent to 30 percent. "I think we really need guardrails in place," resident Tony Wallace told the commission regarding the Dutton Street restaurant.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 2,845 words
Source: the Other Committee meeting of August 13, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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