South Shore Chamber of Commerce

Visit Marylou's booth at the Chamber EXPO on Tuesday for a cup of coffee and say "Congratulations"

South Shore-based Marylou’s Coffee is expanding its chain to Rhode Island - Quincy, MA - The Patriot Ledger.

Braintree opens the door for Dave & Buster's at South Shore Plaza

The Braintree Town Council has voted 5-4 to allow the the additional amusement game devices that Dave & Buster's wants for the restaurant and arcade it hopes to open at South Shore Plaza. The restaurant will still need to apply for local permits.

The Braintree Business Council of the South Shore Chamber backs the proposal by the Texas-based restaurant chain to move into the former Circuit City building. Dave & Buster's is planning a $12 million investment in the project.

The Braintree Forum's story on the Town Council's action is here.

A Globe South report on the controversey surrounding the Council's vote is here.

Quincy City Council hearing on new meals tax is tonight - South Shore Chamber opposes it

The Quincy City Council is scheduled to hold a hearing at 6:30 this evening to consider imposing a new local tax on restaurant and take-out meals. The South Shore Chamber will be there to speak out against the tax. We encourage our members to turn out and do the same.

The South Shore Chamber of Commerce has adamantly opposed the tax in Quincy and in the other South Shore communities where it has been proposed. Abington and Braintree rejected the new tax. In Plymouth, the tax was defeated in a referendum by an 80% to 20% margin.

The Patriot Ledger's recent article about the Quincy initiative is here.

Quincy City Council to consider new tax on restaurant meals May 17

Quincy is the latest South Shore community to consider adopting a new tax on restaurant meals. Abington and Braintree have already said "no" to the tax and Plymouth's voters rejected it by a 4-to-1 margin in a referendum. Hingham's town meeting last week narrowly voted to impose the tax.

The City Council has scheduled a hearing on the new meals tax for Monday, May 17 at 6:30 p.m.

The South Shore Chamber of Commerce has opposed the tax, which is imposed only on one arbitrarily selected group of businesses.

Hingham Selectmen tonight consider local tax on restaurant meals; Chamber opposes

Hingham's Board of Selectmen tonight will decide whether to support a "local option" tax on restaurant meals. If they approve, the issue will go to Town Meeting next month.

The state increased the tax on restaurant meals last year from 5% to 6.25%, and it authorized communities to add an additional .75% to the tab as a new stream of local revenue. (Correction: the original post erroneously stated the meals tax rate as 6.5%.)

The South Shore Chamber of Commerce and the Hingham Business Council have urged the selectmen to drop the idea. Restaurants are among the businesses that have been hard hit by the economy. They're an important source of local jobs. And successful restaurants are a big part of the success of the Derby Street Shoppes and the Queen Anne's Corner area, Hingham Square, and soon we expect the Hingham Shipyard as well. Making those businesses less competitive with restaurants across the town line would not be a good move for Hingham.

The South Shore Chamber and its local business councils helped turn back local option meals taxes in Braintree and Abington recently. Plymouth's town meeting voted to adopt the tax, but the townspeople voted overwhelmingly - 4-1 - to reject it.

Two Braintree restaurants get full liquor licenses. - Quincy, MA - The Patriot Ledger

More good news for the South Shore restaurant scene - Two Braintree restaurants get full liquor licenses. - Quincy, MA - The Patriot Ledger Thanks to our Braintree Business Council members.

Posted using ShareThis

Plymouth rejects local meals tax - Quincy, MA - The Patriot Ledger

In Plymouth, voters who came out for the special senate election faced another issue on the ballot - whether to adopt or reject a new tax on restaurant meals. By a 4 to 1 margin, the voters said "no" to the local option meals tax. A link to The Patriot Ledger's story about the vote is here: Plymouth rejects local meals tax - Quincy, MA - The Patriot Ledger

Prior to the vote, the South Shore Chamber of  Commerce urged voters to reject the tax:

Peter Forman, president and CEO of the Chamber, warned “the proposed tax not only hurts individual businesses; it will damage the region’s growing reputation for dining, entertainment and hospitality.”

Forman pointed out that restaurants are among the businesses most vulnerable to a downturn in the economy. “It’s no secret that restaurants have been especially hard hit during the recession. Whether it is a Main Street coffee shop, a banquet facility, or a four-star restaurant, the meals tax makes eating out more expensive. And when folks cut back, that is going to affect jobs – especially those of part-timers and young people who depend on the restaurant industry for jobs.”

“Plymouth and the South Shore have been working and investing for years to build up our restaurant and visitor industries,” the Chamber president said. “We’ve recognized that they create jobs, improve the quality of life for all of our residents, and make the South Shore a more desirable place to live and to work.”

“High quality dining and a strong mix of restaurant experiences are a reflection of the rising incomes and younger population that mark the South Shore as a region on the move. Our dynamic and varied restaurant scene is a treasure. It should be supported as an important marketing tool for our community, not over-taxed and dismissed as some frivolous extravagance.”

Braintree council sticks a fork in local meals tax - Quincy, MA - The Patriot Ledger

Braintree council sticks a fork in local meals tax - Quincy, MA - The Patriot Ledger

The South Shore Chamber of Commerce and its Braintree Business Council opposed the addition of a local meals tax on top of the recently-raised state tax on meals. Restaurants have been hit hard by the economic downturn already. A healthy hospitality industry is an important part of the South Shore economy, providing jobs and adding to the quality of life in our community.