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Flour Bakery's next location? In the middle of Boston Common
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In retrospect, I might have recommended an umbrella and a rain jacket yesterday. WBZ reports it was the wettest day of the year in Boston. (Click here for photos from the messy day.)
We’re back to chilly, dry weather today. But first, the news:
Sugar, butter… Flour: Joanne Chang’s award-winning local bakery chain is coming to Boston Common. Mayor Michelle Wu’s office announced yesterday Flour will take over the Parkman Bandstand-adjacent concession pavilion, previously occupied by the Earl of Sandwich shop, next year. “Flour Bakery will be a great fit for this treasured space in our country’s oldest public park,” Wu said. It will be Flour’s 10th location in the Boston area.
- The backstory: The location may be “treasured” — but it’s also challenging. There’s no room for indoor seating in the small, octagonal concession stand. And it’s a little out of the way for commuters. CommonWealth Beacon reported earlier this year that Earl of Sandwich was losing money since it opened in the refurbished building in 2013. The Florida-based chain asked out of its 15-year lease this past spring. The city granted the request, and over the fall had put out a call for a new vendor to take over.
- Zoom out: The news is part of Wu’s efforts to make underutilized parts of the Common more “vibrant,” amid recent concerns about public safety in the area. Last year, the city opened a beer garden and performance stage by the Common’s Boylston MBTA stop.
- Zoom in: Chang said they plan to sell pastries (fingers crossed for those famous sticky buns), salads, sandwiches and “new treats exclusive to this location.”
- What’s next: Flour plans to begin renovating the building this winter, with a tentative opening date set for spring 2025.
At City Hall: Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson says she has no plans to resign — despite pressure from Wu and nearly half of her Council colleagues. Fernandes Anderson spoke to reporters yesterday for the first time since her recent arrest for an alleged bonus kickback scheme. “ It’s time to focus on the work,” she said. “Due process should be allowed, afforded to everyone.” WBUR’s Walter Wuthmann and Sydney Ko have more on her comments here.
- Meanwhile: The Boston City Council unanimously approved next year’s property tax rates during yesterday’s meeting. After the Senate blocked Wu’s plan to temporarily shift more of the tax burden onto businesses, homeowners are looking at a 10.4% hike on last year’s taxes. For the average single-family home in Boston, that’s an increase of $573. (And remember, homeowners will pay about half of that increase in January’s tax bill.)
- FYI: Wu told GBH News yesterday she will postpone her annual State of the City speech from January to March, since she’s expecting her third child in mid-January.
Back to school: Bill Belichick is officially returning to the sidelines, but it won’t be in the NFL. The former Patriots coach agreed yesterday to coach for the University of North Carolina, signing a five-year contract. The 72-year-old has never coached in the college ranks before (though his father was an assistant coach for the Tar Heels in the 1950s). “We know that college athletics is changing, and those changes require new and innovative thinking,” UNC athletics director Bubba Cunningham said in a statement.
- In other sports news: Have the Red Sox found their new ace pitcher? Boston traded with the Chicago White Sox yesterday for hard-throwing lefty Garrett Crochet in exchange for four minor leaguers, including top catching prospect Kyle Teel.
Boston Dynamics is showing the door to about 5% of its workforce. The Waltham-based robotics company, best known for its beloved agile robot Spot, announced yesterday that it’s laying off 45 workers.
- CEO Robert Playter told employees the company’s long-term outlook is still positive, but they need to cut costs after quadrupling their workforce since 2021. “We are also burning through cash at a rate that exceeds our commercial progress to date, and we need to streamline our operations and production processes to support sustainable growth,” Playter said.
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