Salem Liquor License Auction Ends With No Bids

SALEM, MA — The opening bid of $50,000 for a shuttered Salem restaurant's liquor license was too much for the handful of bidders that showed up for an auction Thursday.

According to the Salem News, the liquor license now goes back to the state. The auction included the license and assets of Bistro 118, which was seized by the Massachusetts Department of Revenue for unpaid taxes.

Last month, Bistro 118 owner Frandy Xiangfa Xu, 44, of Salem, was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon after being accused of kicking Salem Digest editor and former city councilor William Legault twice in the stomach. Legault runs Salem Digest, a popular local news and commentary website. In january, Legault was the first to report the Massachusetts Department of Revenue seized Bistro 118 for unpaid taxes.