Pittsfield Licensing Board Shows Bei Tempi Some Grace?

So, Marjo and I were talking about Bei Tempi on Wednesday morning's radio show. The Pittsfield Licensing Board could have really hit them where it hurts, but they didn't.

The Onota Street bar in Pittsfield is going to have to face the music for serving someone alcohol who was underage.

But here's the thing - it doesn't kick in until July 6, which means the bar gets to operate through the entire Fourth of July holiday weekend.

Now you could look at that two ways. And we did.

The cynical take is obvious - a bar facing its second underage serving accusation since opening in 2024 gets to be open on one of the biggest bar weekends of the year before facing any consequences. After the first incident in 2025 the owners promised to use an ID scanning machine. In January when this allegedly happened again, the scanner wasn't used. -berkshireeagle.com

But here's the other way to look at it. Bei Tempi is a small local business. It employs local people. The Fourth of July weekend could be the difference between a good month and a bad one.

The Licensing Board could have made the suspension immediate. They didn't. Whether that was intentional or just the way the calendar fell, it gave a local business a chance to get through their biggest weekend before shutting the bar down for five days.

A mother brought this case forward to protect her daughter and she was brave enough to do it even while asking to stay anonymous. That part is serious and the board took it seriously with a 2-1 vote to suspend.

But maybe, just maybe, the liquor board just showed the bar some grace by letting them take the hit starting July 6.