In a little over a decade the building at 964 Saratoga St has seen four restaurants open and close–some to the delight of neighbors.
According to residents, for the past decade, with the exception of John Lee’s Chinese Food restaurant that had a short stint at the location, the building has housed some establishments that have allegedly been disruptive for teh nighborhood..
So it was no surprise when Ferdy Argueta and his wife, Altamira Carpio pitched their plans at the Orient Heights Neighborhood Council (OHNC) Monday night to open a restaurant and bar with entertainment, residents were apprehensive.
However, Argueta and Carpio’s attorney, Diane Modica made her case for Mi Pueblito to open their second location in Orient Heights Square and eventually won the crowd over.
Residents and abutters alike supported the proposal unanimously Monday night. OHNC members approved Argueta and Carpio’s plan to buy the license of the Las Vegas Restaurant, which failed months ago, and operate Mi Pueblito Orient Heights. The husband and wife team has owned the restaurant’s flagship location on Border Street for seven years with great success.
An application is to be filed with the Boston Licensing Board seeking a hearing for the approval of the transfer of the beer, wine and cordial license currently exercised on that premise as well as entertainment, i.e. jukebox and flat screen televisions.
The couple will also utilize the downstairs function hall for private parties provided the parties do not include a DJ playing loud music and the parties are over at 11 p.m. with patrons out by 11:30 p.m.
“They first opened Mi Pueblito on Border Street seven years ago and they run a very tight ship,” said Modica. “They have received great write ups on websites like Yelp and it really is a family orientated restaurant that caters to local people as well as customers from around Boston.”
One thing that put residents and abutters at ease was the couple’s practice of adopting a good neighbor policy and standard at their restaurant on Border Street.
“They have a list of what they expect from their customers,” said Modica. “It is in a frame and hanging next to the entrance to the restaurant. This has really formed the cornerstone of how they operate. To their benefit they have zero license premise violations on Border Street.”
Another aspect of the plan that seemed to calm OHNC members was that Carpio, who has over 17 years experience running functions at the Seaport Hotel in Boston, will be running the day to day operations at the restaurant.
“They will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner with an 11 p.m. closing time,” said Modica. “They will do some upgrades to the interior to make it a more upscale family dining experience for its patrons. The entertainment will be no different than a place like Ecco where patrons can watch television at the bar or listen to background music while dinning.” Modica said the owners will also comply with signage regulations.