Hospitality

The Worcester Railers Hockey Club said Wednesday they won't play their upcoming winter hockey season while much of the rest of their league moves forward during the coronavirus pandemic.

On Monday, WBJ released Restaurant Scene, a special collaborative report done in conjunction with the Worcester Regional Research Bureau.

Medusa Brewing Co. in Hudson is moving its beer garden indoors for the winter, co-owner Keith Sullivan confirmed on Thursday, in an effort to continue serving customers in a space more accommodating to COVID-19 restrictions.

Massachusetts is joining regulators from 19 states to found a new organization aimed at connecting state cannabis regulators, the state Cannabis Control Commission announced on Thursday.

The Botanist, the retail arm of the cannabis firm Acreage Holdings, which maintains U.S. headquarters in New York City, has opened an adult-use marijuana dispensary in Shrewsbury, and added adult-use sales to its Worcester location, the company announced on Wednesday.

Three Worcester restaurants have reopened after temporary closures following positive coronavirus tests for employees.

In Central Mass., the restaurant industry is more developed in places like Worcester, Sturbridge and Marlborough, which have eschewed the state liquor license cap law in favor of having unlimited bars and eateries in their communities.

Hopeful marijuana delivery entrepreneurs and supporters, including a couple of state representatives, huddled virtually to get on the same page and encourage advocacy ahead of a public hearing later this week that could determine what kind of delivery industry gets rolled out in Massachusetts.

Restaurants are bringing in far less money for food and drink during the coronavirus pandemic – and it’s showing both the hit the industry has taken this year as well as the financial toll declining tax revenue will have on cities and towns.

On Thursday, Tree House Brewing Co. announced an ambitious plan to open a large new brewing facility on Cape Cod. On Friday, the brewery took it a step further, announcing plans to open in the Western Massachusetts town of Deerfield.