Somerville institution rumored to be closing...

[wine-fun101.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen any other posts on this, so I figured it was worth sharing for all of those Soundbites lovers out there... The breakfast institution Soundbites will close (Feb. 15) - due to a lack of fire exit.

Comments

[ron_newman]

For how long will it close? Why is an exit required now if it wasn't when they opened a year or two ago?

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

yeah, that doesn't make sense. El guapo renovated that building only four or five years back.

[wine-fun101.livejournal.com]

Apparently the feud between Ball Sq Cafe/Victor's and Soundbites has come to a head. Soundbites used to have a back exit via his neighbors.... Recently they blocked the exit, so now Soundbites customers/staff no longer have a back way out. I'm assuming it is a permanent as no alternate solution has been accepted, but who knows!

[balsamicdragon.livejournal.com]

Good riddance.

[georgy.livejournal.com]

I second that motion :-)

[carmstro.livejournal.com]

I order delivery regularly from these guys via Foodler and I'm really really sad to see them go. They're always on-time and the delivery person (generally the same middle-aged guy) is very friendly. I just ordered lunch from them today!

waily, waily, waily!

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

Except that Soundbites re-routed people who would otherwise eat at *my* favorite places. I'd like them to stay open so people who want a crappy breakfast with shitty service have a place to go without flooding other local places!

[spatch]

Well, it wasn't so much a lack of a fire exit as it was that, in the event of a fire, the line to use the fire exit would typically exceed 45 minutes on the weekends and sometimes go around the block. This of course would then force others to seek evacuation from other places, such as Kelly's or Johnny D's.

[rax.livejournal.com]

That was awesome.

[mrpet.livejournal.com]

FTW!

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

At least it would be the hottrendy way to die.

[obra.livejournal.com]

I love you, spatch.

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

Posting appreciation to epic comment.

[arrowintwolakes.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think this is a unanimous thread win.

If true, worst news ever.

[shana-lyons.livejournal.com]

Has anyone actually asked Yassir? I'd offer to do it but I'm going out of town this afternoon.

I'd be really interested in knowing what the real situation was, because if it's as stated, I'll be holding a major grudge against Ball Square Breakfast Cafe. I'm really hoping it's not, though, because even though I prefer Soundbites, I like BSBC's food and the people who work there seem nice.

Personally, I hope it's all just myth and rumors. . .

Re: If true, worst news ever.

[winterhill.livejournal.com]

I agree -- IF Ball Square Cafe folks are being total pricks about this, then they will not receive my custom again. Nor will Victors, run by the same family. I'm sure it wont break their bank but such grudge-holding deserves a karmic slap-down.

[lbmango.livejournal.com]

Well, if nothing else, that explains why we were surprised that they were closed a week and a half ago on Monday for trivia night!

[enhf94.livejournal.com]

My understanding from The Man is not that Sound Bites is closing, but rather that they may not serve alcohol until a back-of-building emergency escape is in place (this is the reason for being closed evenings the last couple of weeks). They'd been using the gate in the chain-link fence into BSC's backyard, but the BSC folks put a lock on it (adverse easement may come into play, I've never heard of it). My info is several days old, however, so the situation may well have changed since.

Seems a bit gun-jumpy to say "will close" when things are, say, 40 moves away from checkmate.

[ron_newman]

I'm puzzled as to why the need for a fire exit depends on whether the restaurant serves alcohol. Those seem like two totally unrelated things.

[teko.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm not buying it, frankly. I can see them getting a small fine or a hand-slap, but Soundbites is a local institution. The city wouldn't order them permanently closed due to an obscure infraction that can be remedied.

[masswich.livejournal.com]

I am in the minority in that I think Soundbites is overrated. Its too bad if it closed but I don't think its the end of the world. The whole breakfast wars thing also made me not want to go to either place.

If it needs to meet fire code it needs to meet fire code. If something happened and people died, the city would be liable. Its not much to ask that a restaurant have a second way out in case of a fire. They do use fire in the kitchen, after all...

[makoshark.livejournal.com]

I think SB's is overrated but if other folks seem to like them, the city should put a bit of effort into working out a solution in everybody's interest. Presumably, whoever took the place over would need to work out a fire exit too.

[unbelman.livejournal.com]

Does this mean the space can't be used by any business? If SoundBites is closed, Ia assume another business couldn't go in there for the same reason

[ron_newman]

A non-restaurant business presumably wouldn't need the fire exit.

[ron_newman]

Somerville Journal read this post, called Yasser, and says this rumor is groundless.

[sonofabish.livejournal.com]

Bummer. I was hoping he could host a "F*ck the Fire Department!" closing party.

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

So, OP, where did you get this false information?

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

Not because I want to grill you, but because I'm interested in how rumors like this spread.

[studeronomy.livejournal.com]

It's kind of funny that a restaurant being closed due to lack of a fire exit would still be allowed to remain open for an entire month. What if there's a fire?!

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

That's what made me think this rumor was inaccurate. If something violates an existing firecode, they close it. Cocoanut Grove laws and what-not. The only exception is when a new firecode element is announced (like the sprinklers in nightclubs) and businesses have a window of opportunity to comply.