Local News
With help from the city and some enticing marketing, local businesses say the downtown is still holding its own.
As working from home remains a common practice — and more office workers seem to be opting to book it out of the city, ditching an after-work social life — some have wondered whether the bars, restaurants and other businesses that catered primarily to office workers might be doomed to extinction.
But it turns out reports of Downtown Boston’s demise may have been exaggerated.
In fact, downtown restauranteurs say the nightlife is blooming with the help of the city, the neighborhood’s Business Improvement District, scheduled events, and clever marketing. With continued help, many are actually optimistic about the future of downtown.
“I’m definitely feeling very confident about the downtown area, both short-term and long-term,” said Cheryl Cronin, the CEO of the Boston Public Market.
Even as downtown staples such as Fajitas & Ritas, Silvertone, and Porters Bar and Grill close, more restaurants and clubs, such as the Vermilion Club, Temple Records, the Chemist, Hobgoblin, and even Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, are opening in the neighborhood.
As a look at the Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission’s most current numbers of liquor licenses by zip code shows, the areas surrounding Downtown Crossing still have more, by far, than any other neighborhood in Boston — showing a solid draw for the neighborhood remains.
But with hybrid work becoming the new normal, businesses have had to adapt to being busier Tuesday through Thursday than on Friday afternoons.
“Mondays and Fridays downtown can be like a ghost town,” said Kevin Treanor, the owner of the Chemist.
However, anecdotal evidence aside, not everyone says Fridays are a disaster: The Downtown Boston Business…