Come February shoppers will have a restaurant to satisfy their hunger pangs at the Square One Mall.

The Board of Selectmen voted 3-0 to grant Twitters Bar & Grille an all-alcoholic common victualer’s license to operate what manager John Carlino termed a family-style restaurant in the spot once occupied by Iron Works Grill and Tavern.

Twitters Bar & Grille, a 5,700 sq. ft. parcel located at the Square One Mall entrance near the bus stop, will feature 165 restaurant seats and a 12-seat bar.

Board members allotted Twitters Bar & Grille a new liquor license the legislature awarded the town per request of Town Meeting.

In his application Carlino proposed a 2 a.m. closing time in order to accommodate the occasional function or special event.

The 2 a.m. request troubled a number of homeowners who attended the public hearing to urge the selectmen to shorten the hours of operation.

Fiske Avenue resident Christopher Kiley told the board he is wary of vehicles peeling out of the mall at night when he already has to contend with tractor-trailers and landscapers early in the morning.

“The Square One Mall isn’t a good neighbor,” Kiley asserted.

Susan Yee, manager at the Square One Mall, said that complaints regarding excessive noise are dealt with appropriately. She clarified that her company doesn’t control the adjoining Sears parcel where most of the problems with trucks have surfaced.

Essex Street resident Sandra Casella expressed concern over the possibility of additional noise in the abutting neighborhood.

Casella suggested Twitters Bar & Grille should close around the same time as Square One Mall tenants – 9 or 10 p.m. for the most part – and not stay open several hours later.

Town Meeting Member Janet Leuci said she “absolutely, vehemently” opposed the granting of a 2 a.m. license at the Square One Mall.

While Leuci acknowledged everyone wants the Square One Mall to do well, she emphasized it can’t come at the expense of the town or its residents.

Leuci argued that the shopping center doesn’t need a restaurant serving drinks until 2 a.m. to succeed.

“If we don’t learn from history we’re condemned to repeat it,” Leuci said. “We don’t want to see it morph into a problem nightclub.”

Another neighbor of the Square One Mall worried about drunk drivers leaving the restaurant presenting a public safety threat to the residential area.

Accidents caused by inebriated motorists also weighed heavily on the mind of Town Meeting member Bob Cox.

“To have a full alcohol license and entertainment license and allow it to open after hours, I don’t see the justification,” Cox said. “You’re taking on additional risks to abutters and drivers on Route 1.”

Carlino let the board know that he has supervised the Exchange Street Bistro in Malden for the last 3 ½ years without any problems developing.

Addressing the concerns voiced by homeowners, Carlino stressed that he has no plans to turn Twitters Bar & Grille into a nightclub.

“We’re a restaurant in a mall, I don’t want a club,” Carlino said.

The point behind bringing a restaurant to the Square One Mall is to give people an option other than the food court to enjoy a meal or unwind with a few drinks, Yee said.

With only a 12-seat bar and no live entertainment Twitters Bar & Grille could never become a nightclub, Yee noted.

After hearing from all parties the selectmen voted 3-0 to establish a midnight closing time at Twitters, with last call at 11:30 p.m.

Board members also awarded Twitters an entertainment license for five televisions on site.

Following the vote Leuci said she was disappointed with the board’s decision and wished members went with an earlier closing time instead.

The Square One Mall is pleased to announce the highly anticipated opening of Twitters Bar and Grille, which resides on the mall’s first level next to Sears.

The 160-seat, family-style restaurant serves American favorites such as fresh produce, meat, poultry and fish, while offering a friendly atmosphere with a calming ambiance.

The restaurant is the latest venture from the owners of the popular Exchange Street Bistro located in Malden.

“We are thrilled to provide our shoppers with a full-service restaurant of this caliber,” said Susan Yee, general manager of Square One Mall. “There is truly something for everyone on the menu, and now our shoppers can enjoy a prime rib dinner with a glass of wine, grab takeout for the family, and everything in between.”

Twitters caters to the entire family, offering a “well-versed” children’s meal for $5.75 that includes a soft drink and ice cream, while providing the adults with a full service bar that has 24 different beers on tap.

The bar also offers an artful cocktail list that includes a special Saugus Martini in addition to traditional martini, margarita and daiquiri favorites.

The full menu can be found on the restaurant’s Web site at www.twittersbarandgrille.com.

Beginning in May, Square One Mall shoppers who purchase $150 in Simon American Express Giftcards will receive a $20 gift card to Twitter’s Bar and Grille.