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]

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.

[bryant]

Probably some tortured reasoning about impaired capacity of patrons.

[enhf94.livejournal.com]

I am also uneducated on the matter, but assume that more exits may be needed for a liquor license, maybe due to fears of drunken nightclub escape pileups, or less likely, the flammability of booze.

[ilai]

I'm completely talking out of my a**, but I wonder if this has anything to do with the legislation passed after the Station nightclub fire, if it makes some kind of requirement for establishments that serve alcohol in general....

[docorion.livejournal.com]

Fire regulations in MA with respect to places which serve alcohol were extensively tightened up after the Cocoanut Grove Fire (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocoanut_Grove_fire) in 1942. This may have been one of the then-new regulations; they included things like requiring that exit doors swing outward, and that revolving doors be flanked by regular ones so people can get out in a panic situation. The Cocoanut Grove had only a front revolving door and exit doors which swung inwards (or were welded shut to prevent people from leaving before they paid their bills). People piled up in front of the doors and couldn't get out.

[ron_newman]

But I'd hope that such regulations still apply even to a restaurant or club that doesn't serve alcohol.

[mmancuso.livejournal.com]

Drunk people move slowly and ignite quickly.