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Kowloon – An Urgent Message to the Town of Saugus

From the Kowloon Restaurant Owners & Employees

Please Say NO to the Rollback!!!  Call your Selectmen Now:  781-231-4124

Why this Message:

1. This is a movement by a group of residents to have operating hours of Liquor License holders’ rollback to 1 am.
2. This would be Absolutely Devastating to our businesses and the livelihood of our employees.
3. We a Family Owned, independent restaurant that has been in Saugus 59 years!!!! (Only Kowloon and Prince are owned by the original families) Longer than most residents have lived in Saugus.
4. Using a broad stroke and blanket approach to solve isolated problems is not FAIR!

We can’t afford to lose more hours!

A few years ago… we had already suffered a 10% Loss in Sales after a 2 hour rollback of our hours from 3:30 to 1:30 am!  And we will lose another 10% if our hours are cut again.

We can’t and our employees can’t afford to lost anymore income

Although other restaurants such as McDonald’s, Dunkin Donuts, and I-Hop are allowed to stay open (24 Hours!)… Because we are a liquor license holder… we have to force all of our customers out of the building by 2:00 am.

Even though NO LIQOUR is served after 2:00 am we are not allowed to sell food or even take-out orders after that hour! And our doors have to be locked at 1:15 am so no new customers can enter.

Do you know what impact this new rollback will have on us? (As well as others)

1. If the rollback succeeds we will have to FORCE all of our customers out of the building by 1:00 am.
2. That means we must lock our doors at 12:15 (just after midnight) So that any new customers will be out in time!!!
3. We do over 10% of food and beverage business after MIDNIGHT!

List of some people we will lose:

• We attract a well behaved crowd looking for a place to go, why else would parents form all over, drop off their school aged children after a school dance, prom, drama club play, or other reasons (all after midnight!!!)
• We attract workers leaving their late night jobs.  Such as airline employees, other restaurant employees, hospital workers and many others.
• We attract people coming back after a show, a movie or sporting event looking for a late night snack or meal.
• We also attract numerous celebrities.  Such as professional wrestlers, (70 of them recently… after their event)
• Red Sox owner John Henry and actor Don Wahlberg have stopped by after a concert.
• Professional athletes come in after the game.
• All of these people need and want a place to go after MIDNIGHT.
• We have already lost a large portion of these customers from the last rollback and now we stand to lose EVEN MORE!!!

Why do this to us AGAIN?

• We are in a terrible recession and business is already down!!!
• It’s ironic that the town voted to increase local meals tax to 7% there by receiving ¾% in local aid to help solve our fiscal crisis during this very BAD ECONOMY.
• Our costs are constantly RISING!  (as everyone’s are!)
  • The Kowloon has not laid off a single person (we have over 250 employees that depend on us!)
  • Mandatory Health Insurance has increased our costs!
  • Water and Sewer rates increased.  We now pay over $300,000 yearly.
  • Real Estate Tax – approximately $280,000 yearly.
  • Gas and Electric – over $350,000 yearly.

• People do not flock to us from other towns for last call!!!  We lock our doors at 1:15 am – and they would never make it in time.

We are good citizens!

• We feel we have been good partners in the community and will always give back.
• Does the majority of the community want to do this to us??? Or is it only the wish of a few? And Why?
• We strongly urge many of the people involved with various organizations in town, to let our leaders know you support us.  We could use your voice, phone calls to you selectmen, and help!!!

The Solution:

So before you decide on creating a one-size fits all remedy please remember you do have alternative.

You can treat each establishment individually.  If there is a pattern of abuse or problem the town can take action on each separately.

Our town leaders should be aware that they do have alternatives, and obligations to not only take care of its problems but also to let Good Business and Community Partners thrive and succeed.

We have been here 59 years and have been loyal and hopefully good for the town… and it would be EXTREMELY unfair (again!) for a few people in Saugus to be able to judge all liquor license holders the same.  We are not!

Respectfully on behalf of the Wong family and our employees,

- Bob Wong