WCAC

 

David Gordon, grandson of a legendary Waltham liquor retailer and community benefactor, was supposed to open a new restaurant in early 2025 with a free liquor license issued by the city’s license commission. 

But that never happened. 

Recently, skeptical Waltham license commissioners called Gordon in for an update—and to prevent him from turning a profit off the valuable free license.

“A great neighborhood restaurant” 

In fall 2023, the Waltham License Commission entertained applications for 4 free all-alcohol liquor licenses released by the state following the 2020 Census.

Five applicants sought licenses that can fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars on the open market.

 

David Gordon, president and CEO of the Waltham-based Gordon Companies, presented a proposal for a new restaurant named after his legendary grandfather Ira “Sonny” Gordon.  

 

It would be located at 888 Main Street in the former Il Capriccio space, right next door to Gordon’s Fine Wines & Liquors.

Sonny’s would serve fresh seafood and farm-to-table dishes, along with wines from the renowned Gordon’s selection.

 

Because it promised more employees, more seats and presumably greater tax revenue for the city, the commission awarded Gordon one of the free licenses for his proposed restaurant over Hakata Ramen, an established Waltham restaurant that also applied.

 

David Gordon later told the commission that his new restaurant would open in early 2025, describing it as “a great neighborhood restaurant” and even producing a sample menu. 

A Promise and a Warning

Given the leeway extended to David Gordon, you might imagine some urgency in his drive to open Sonny’s. 

State licensing officials approved the liquor license transfer in May 2025, but Sonny’s never happened. 

And Waltham license commissioners who trusted Gordon, and who had issued the license in part because of the family’s reputation, were not happy with him at the last meeting.

“We bring you here because we don’t think you can have that license,” said chairman Wayne Brasco. “We gave it to you in good faith.” 

 

He added that other restaurants have paid top dollar for a license or struggled to find one while Gordon’s free one sits unused.

“We have people that are mad at us,” Brasco said, “ because you were given a license, free, that some people paid $150,000 for.”

 

“We have been dealing with a slowdown in the retail side of the business,” David Gordon responded. “We’re sort of past that. So now our commitment to engage in the project is 100% in full.” 

He asked for 3 to 6 more months “to get our permits in and move forward.”

 

Another commissioner, Kevin Ritcey, wondered why for-lease signs are on the building if David Gordon is developing a restaurant there.

 

“I don’t personally own the building,” he replied. “My father [Rick Gordon] put a sign up there to see what activity is out there, but our intention is to open a restaurant in that space.”

Brasco and Ritcey appeared amenable, but also wanted to ensure that the business isn’t developed only to be sold with the valuable license that Gordon received for free.

“We can’t see you build a restaurant and sell it off for money,” Brasco said.

 

Ultimately the license commission voted to offer Gordon three months to submit plans for Sonny’s and prohibited the sale of Sonny’s for two years.

Changing Fortunes?

The Gordons opened their first liquor store at Main and Francis Streets in Waltham in 1934. 

Over the following decades, the family expanded their business in Waltham, invested heavily in downtown real estate and gave back to the community.

 

Leading the way was businessman Ira “Sonny” Gordon, a community builder primarily responsible for the conversion of The Mill into subsidized housing for seniors, among other civic accomplishments. 

 

His son Rick, father of David, assumed leadership of the family business in 1979 and oversaw further expansion.

But the family’s presence in Waltham has changed in recent years, including the sales of now-valuable buildings and a post-COVID decline in the liquor business.

 

No Gordon family member attended a license commission hearing in August 2025 when one of Gordon’s two Waltham liquor stores was sold off. That left only the store at 894 Main. 

Meanwhile, David Gordon has been at the center of a controversy involving an alleged hostile takeover of the Nantucket Wine & Food Festival, founded in 1989.

After a proposed business deal with festival owner Nancy Bean went sour, Gordon announced that he had purchased and “rebranded” it.

Bean sued the Gordon Companies and their partners in federal court in 2024, alleging a deceptive attempt to steal her event, using the original venue, some vendors and during the same timeframe.

A partial settlement was reached, but the story made embarrassing headlines.

Looking Ahead

Does David Gordon actually want to open an upscale restaurant in today’s challenging marketplace? Or is he doing it because Waltham license commissioners called him out?

He could not be reached for comment, but the timing is tricky amid rising restaurant costs, waning demand for liquor and staffing difficulties. 

 

Whatever the case, the situation illustrates the risks of issuing a valuable free liquor license to an applicant with only an idea for a restaurant, regardless of his family background.

File photos