Why we do not allow outside food.
In August 2020, during the pandemic, we were required by law to serve food prepared by us before we could serve alcoholic beverages to customers. Businesses serving alcohol, could not open unless they served food prepared by the business. The government also mandated that people visiting a food/liquor establishment, had to be seated at all times. This presented us, as well as many other businesses to either close or to expand their services to offer food.
To stay open, the regulations required us to invest about a hundred thousand dollars in building or expanding our outdoor kitchen as well as purchasing new tables and hiring additional staff to be in compliance with the law. During this period, we were amazed at the number of negative reviews we received for not allowing outside food and requiring children to remain with their parents at their tables.
When the restriction was lifted, we made the decision to continue operating as a restaurant since we had now invested in equipment, technology, and staff. The change helped us survive the pandemic and remains necessary for our survival today. When you look around and see our farming operations, the facilities that we have built, and the atmosphere, please appreciate that the beauty of Nashoba Valley is supported by our revenue. While we still receive a few negative reviews about our policy change from people that were customers pre-pandemic, we have mostly received positive comments on our current operations. Every business is different and every owner has ideas about how they approach business and what they want to serve or how they want to operate. We truly appreciate our loyal customer who appreciates the need for business to make sound business decisions to survive. Notwithstanding that you cannot bring your own food, we still present an incredible experience with great wine, beer, seltzers, and spirits in an atmosphere that is unique and beautiful offering a wonderful and friendly staff serving great food in a quiet country setting that is unmatched on the east coast.
To remember, – Historical Mandate issued on August 7th, 2020
On August 7, 2020, Governor Charlie Baker announced a number of new initiatives in order to combat the spread of COVID-19. The new rules provide that restaurants may only serve alcoholic beverages if accompanied by food prepared on-site. Pretzels, potato chips, and other pre-packaged foods do not constitute food prepared on-site. For each customer, an item of food prepared on-site must be ordered with an initial alcoholic beverage order. One or more shareable food items may be ordered, so long as the amount of food ordered is sufficient for the number of people at the table. Consistent with these rules, Massachusetts will take measures to shut down any bars masquerading as restaurants. Currently, bars are not permitted to be open
