Somerville hot spot Sound Bites Caf?© moved this summer into the space that formerly housed its neighbor, the El Guapo pub. With more than twice as much space, a newly-added dinner menu, a liquor license and extended hours that keep it open late at night, the eatery is flourishing.
"Business has doubled since the expansion," caf?© owner Yasser Mirza said. Previously, Sound Bites had only served breakfast and lunch; El Guapo, meanwhile, was a bar that stayed open late. Tufts students traditionally frequented El Guapo on Tuesday nights throughout the school year, and now Sound Bites may attempt to fill that niche.
Currently, dinner hours are 5-10 p.m. and the bar is open until 1 a.m. on weekends. The bar's hours on weekdays are flexible, but Mirza said he is considering extending them to weekend hours on Tuesdays.
Mirza said he was forced to give up the old space that his restaurant had after his lease ran up. But as a result of the move into the much larger El Guapo, he expects to be able to accommodate a late-night Tufts crowd.
To show his appreciation to them for their loyalty to his business over the years, he will offer drink specials to students.
But whether Sound Bites will become part of the regular bar scene for Tufts students remains to be seen.
"Given that the bar has the same set-up as Guapo used to, I would consider going," senior Eric Miller said. "But with all the other bars already in the area, I don't know how popular it will be. I would probably just go for breakfast."
Like the neighboring Powderhouse Pub, Sound Bites will have a bouncer at the door checking identification and a police presence if crowds get too big or unmanageable.
Mirza is conscious of the fact that Powderhouse began requesting two forms of identification last spring, and suspects that this stringency could affect his restaurant, for better or for worse.
"Maybe [kids] will start to come here first and I'll make more money," he said.
Paul Upton, a captain and public information officer at the Somerville Police Department, said that the new rules at Powderhouse as well as stricter policies at the liquor store Crowley's are not the result of a new crackdown.
"Police regularly monitor every licensed establishment serving alcohol in Somerville," Upton said.
Routine sting operations, during which underage volunteers are sent into bars or liquor stores to make purchases, also help keep the underage drinking problem under control.
"Underage drinking is always a problem in urban settings," he said. "And Somerville is no exception."
Prior to Sound Bites' move, some students were concerned that the expansion would sacrifice the unique, fast-paced environment they had come to enjoy.
But sophomore Samantha Samel, a regular Sound Bites patron, said that the caf?©'s new look hasn't taken away from its bustling atmosphere.
"Even though Sound Bites is more spacious now, the waiters still rush you through your meal. It has definitely maintained its busy and hectic atmosphere," she said.
