Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | September 22, 2025 | Worcester Business Journal 21 DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION F O C U S pening on weekdays, to hip hop artists and DJs performing on the weekends. Our restaurant sales increase daily. We are responsive to what our customers want." Plans in Fitchburg e constantly changing timeline and plans for social consumption in Massachusetts have made it difficult for entrepreneurs to solidify their business concepts. Yet, four young entrepreneurs with ties to the Fitchburg area are forg- ing ahead anyway. While CCC works on finalizing regu- lations, Guy Gormley, Matthew Boone, Mat Meadows, and John Quartarone have dreamt up the concept of e Roasted Bean, a cafe and entertain- ment venue they are hoping to open at 80 Daniels St., a unique three-story structure once occupied by the New Palace Bowling Lanes, which is in need of revitalization. Boone has already beat the odds, growing up mostly in the foster care system to working as an engineer at Commonwealth Fusion Systems, the $2-billion, Devens-based energy firm which has captured global attention for its ambitious quest to commercialize nuclear fusion technology. For him, this personal side endeavor is an attempt to bring that same innova- tive spirit to the cannabis space. "I wanted to do something for the world, and I found a place that I could do that," Boone said of CFS. "I found this skill set, this way of executing ideas, and I'm really just carrying that over to this project." Gormley comes from a slightly dif- ferent background, foregoing college to instead live with Buddhists in Upstate New York before spending time back- packing across the West Coast. For him, e Roasted Bean presents the opportu- nity to do good while doing well. "It carries the financial opportunity to provide to build something that can ac- tually make a positive impact," he said. "Cannabis is something that I personally love. It's a huge industry that will be able to fund a force for powerful good, and that's what I'm trying to build with it." e plan is to make a welcoming space for all, not just seasoned cannabis consumers, said Boone and Gormley. Upon entering, the plan is for e Roasted Bean to appear to be a regular coffee shop. But pulling a book on a bookshelf will reveal a speakeasy-like entry to the rest of the space, with plans for a 750-seat venue, a snack shack, and a steady stream of various events to keep guests entertained. Noting how many other cannabis businesses have set up shop in the Fitchburg area, Gormley said their proposed business would fit right in, as the city works to revitalize itself. "ere's still a lot of beautiful details, original details inside and outside the building," Gormley said. "We fell in love with it. We want to restore this crown jewel of Fitchburg." Regulatory pros and cons To the northwest of Fitchburg, can- nabis entrepreneur and social equity program participant Derek D'Ambro- sio is interested in one day operating a social consumption site at a dispensary he's working to open in Ashburnham. He said one benefit of the proposed regulations is they allow for such co-lo- cated businesses, rather than requiring social consumption spots to be their own separate sites. is will be more viable as a business model, D'Ambrosio said. e plan is for a cannabis lounge with outdoor space, trying to take advantage of Ashburnham's rural setting and close proximity to New Hampshire, the lone New England state where recreational cannabis remains illegal. A number of hurdles remain though, D'Ambrosio said, including assuring regulators and other stakeholders are okay with smoking at the site, instead of just cannabis drinks and edibles. "Everybody's really touchy with smoking, but I feel like having a smok- ing section is essential for these things to work," he said. "ere's a lot of red tape we have to get through, and then assuming we do get through all that red tape, I still have to build it out to com- pliance. I just got a quote for insurance on a very minimal outdoor lounge, and it's like over $11,000 a year. at's just general liability. If you compare that to any other industry, and you can see, like we get hit with the cannabis tax." Mirroring the 2016 ballot initiative which asked the state to regulate canna- bis like alcohol, D'Ambrosio hopes the state thinks of business viability when craing regulations. He took issue with a few different aspects of the proposed rules, including restrictions on how much can be sold to a customer and restrictions on selling food that isn't pre-packaged. At a Sept. 8 hearing, a number of advocates took issue with a proposal to require mandatory cooling down areas, designated spaces marked with signage intended to be safe spaces for people who may have overconsumed to allow for the effects to dissipate. "If CCC makes these things so tough that I can't afford it and I can't get any investors to invest, this is going to be a waste of time," D'Ambrosio said. "So we do have a lot against us." While the business will face a gaunlet of local and state approvals, The Roasted Bean hopes to be among the first social consumption sites to open in Massachusetts. PHOTOS | MATT WRIGHT W

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