Brothers Kouzina In Peabody Closing At End Of Month

PEABODY, MA -- Peabody City Council's approval of a medical marijuana license earlier this month means a popular Route 1 restaurant will be closing by the end of the month. Under a plan by Phytotherapy, the company would open its medical marijuana dispensary on land now used by Brother's Kouzina, and the restaurant would relocate to an as-yet-determined location.

The owners hope to reopen by early next year, but its unclear whether the restaurant will reopen in Peabody or on Route 1. Alex Athanas, president and co-founder of Phytotherapy, is the nephew of Brother's Kouzina owners Penny and Jimmy Christopher , according to state business records.

In addition to approving the special permit for Phytotherapy, city council also approved a special permit for another medical marijuana dispensary, Wellness Connection of Massachusetts Inc. Both companies have already receive state-level approval for their plans. At the same meeting, City Council made a temporary ban on recreational marijuana sales in Peabody permanent.

Subscribe to Peabody Patch for more local news and real-time alerts.

Patch file photo.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).