Consumer Law
Boston Restaurants Sue the City Over Outdoor Dining Fee
The owners of five restaurants in Boston’s North End say in a lawsuit against Mayor Michelle Wu that the city’s $7,500 fee for eateries in the neighborhood that want to offer outdoor dining this summer is unconstitutional.
The four business owners, in their federal complaint filed Monday, said the fee — which applies only to restaurants in the traditionally Italian neighborhood that attracts tourists from around the world — creates “unfair methods of competition.”
The fee violates the restaurant owners’ constitutional due process and equal protection rights, and their rights under the commerce clause, the restaurateurs assert.
