After a yearlong process, Blue on Highland officially opened its new, expanded dining space to the public on April 28.
A longtime vision of Blue’s operating partner Scott Drago and owner Adam Patti, The Back Room, a 650-square-foot space at 890 Highland Ave., was previously occupied by Venus Nail and Manny’s Barbershop, though the barbershop never opened publicly.
According to Drago, the new space is being used to accommodate diners on the restaurant’s busiest weekend nights, and can be booked for private events and small gatherings. The space can seat a maximum of 40 guests at as many as eight tables.
The undertaking began last June when Drago presented his expansion plan to the Planning Board. Since then, it’s been a lengthy process to make his vision come to life.
“We’re just happy it’s open,” Drago said. “There were a bunch of obstacles we didn’t know we were going to encounter.”
In what Drago described as an “educational process,” the owner had to balance his ideal plan with the difficult nature of the project. The process of satisfying building and fire codes was also complex.
“It’s not as easy as knocking down an existing wall in the restaurant. We were leaving a building and going through two walls to get to another existing building, which develops a whole new plan,” he said.
Since The Back Room is not strictly for dining, Drago had to amend the restaurant’s liquor license through the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission to accommodate the new space. Beyond that, it was a matter of making all the moving parts come together.
“It was a lot of different pieces, between a general contractor, a building inspector, a code consultant, a liquor-license attorney, and an architect,” Drago said. “There’s a lot of red tape that has to be sorted through other than just the boards and the nails that go in it. We had to find out who to consult with and where to go in order to make the puzzle come together.”
Through the process of arranging the moving parts and puzzle pieces, Drago received direction along the way.
“We had a couple people who were very good to us who worked very well with us in the Planning Board department. That was probably the biggest help as we were trying to feel our way through and try and put it together,” he said.
It wasn’t easy to hide the expansion from guests. Diners at Blue were consistently curious about the project.
“It’s been very well received. For the months it took to put it together, the curiosity aspect was key to finally getting it open,” Drago said.
Looking to the future, Blue’s expansion may not be finished.
“We still have some space in the back of that building,” Drago said. “I feel that it could be a possibility in the future to expand our kitchen to behind that building, which would give us more space in the kitchen and allow us to service that area from the kitchen. It would connect the two kitchens together and just make one restaurant.”
{Correction: This story has been updated to correct an error regarding Scott Drago’s title. He is the Operating Partner of Blue on Highland and Adam Patti is the owner.}
Needham resident Ben Petteruti is a student at Occidental College
Save as PDF