Falafel Corner Subjected to One-Day Suspension by Cambridge Board of License Commissioners

Regulars of Middle Eastern restaurant Falafel Corner had to forgo their pita and shawarma due to a one-day suspension issued by the Cambridge Board of License Commissioners last Wednesday.

According to the Cambridge Board of License Commissioners’ Jan. 28 meeting notes, Falafel Corner, which is located on 8 Eliot St., was temporarily closed because of their delay in renewing their Common Victualler License for the upcoming year.

Every Cambridge dine-in restaurant “with the capabilities for cooking, preparing, and serving food” is required to have a Common Victualler License, according to the City of Cambridge website. Restaurants must renew their licenses yearly through an online application.

The board wrote that Falafel Corner’s renewal process for 2025 began in mid-October and ended on Nov. 27. The Board made “over a dozen” attempts to contact Falafel Corner about their unrenewed license — including a cease and desist order issued on Dec. 4.

The board also wrote that Falafel Corner submitted a late renewal application on Dec. 13, but it was deemed incomplete because it did not include payment or proof of workers’ compensation insurance.

The board informed Falafel Corner again on Dec. 31, 2024 that they needed to complete the renewal, but an application was not filed.

Tyler Bubenik, an investigator with the Board, visited Falafel Corner on Jan. 3 to find the store open for business — even though the 2025 license had not yet been issued by the City. Though the owner had paid the fee for their license, he had yet to file proof of workers’ compensation.

But Bubenik reported in the Jan. 28 meeting that he was able to locate a former filing with the necessary information and issued the license policy before he left the restaurant.

Ahmed H. Naguib, who works with Falafel Corner owner Tarek A. Moneim, said the licensing process was drawn out because of confusion over how to show the proof of workers’ compensation, along with Moneim’s ongoing health problems.

“He had some problems with his liver, so he was in and out of the hospital in the month of December, and that’s why he was late,” Naguib said. “He got this confusion about the work comp thing, which made the application take longer than he should have done.”

This is not the first time Falafel Corner’s license renewal was delayed. In 2016, the Board issued Falafel Corner a warning for failing to renew their Common Victualler License.

Despite the eventual resolution, the Board still decided to approve the temporary closure in a March meeting. When the closure was proposed in January, Board member Nicole Murati Ferrer said that Falafel Corner’s continued operation was “concerning.”

“You were operating, as of January 1st, not only without a license, you were operating without workers’ comp, too, for some period of time before that,” Ferrer said.

“I understand that you are running a business, but you are in charge of not only your patrons, but your employees, and your employees matter. Workers’ comp matters,” she added.

The Board agreed unanimously on a one-day suspension for Falafel Corner.

Falafel Corner management affirmed that temporary closure was because of the licensing delay, adding that their business is currently open and operating under their renewed license.

— Staff writer Jaya N. Karamcheti can be reached at jaya.karamcheti@thecrimson.com.

— Staff writer Kevin Zhong can be reached at kevin.zhong@thecrimson.com.