A check-in on Back Door Donuts’ new plan to keep its long lines moving drew a slew of passionate supporters who were under the impression that the select board was attempting to shut down the late-night bakery.

Dozens of people packed the Oak Bluffs select board meeting Tuesday after the business last week sent out a petition claiming a neighbor was trying to put a halt to the late-night tradition.

But the select board assured Back Door Donuts’ owners and loyal fans that it had no intention to alter the business license, and planned to only check in on the bakery’s strategies to mitigate the crowds it attracts.

Tuesday's meeting was packed with donut lovers.

Riis Williams

Tuesday's meeting was packed with donut lovers.

Riis Williams

In past summers, the popular downtown eatery, which serves sweet treats from its front door during the day and back door at night, received complaints from residential neighbors about large and noisy lines of customers that gathered outside the back door.

The select board has been working with the bakery’s owners this year to keep the business’ lines shorter and less disruptive. At a meeting in March, the owners said that they would implement online ordering, cap the back door line at 28 people and hire security staff to conduct crowd control. The board approved their plan and promised to monitor its efficacy over the summer.

On Tuesday, the select board urged Back Door Donuts to promote online ordering more and requested further routine check-ins with the bakery’s primary security guard, Marc Doyle, for the rest of the summer.

Last week, the owners caught wind of a rumor that the board planned to close the bakery’s nighttime operation during Tuesday’s meeting. In response, they created an online petition to “Save Back Door Donuts,” and rallied their social media followers.

“We were told by somebody that [the select board] had no interest in working things out, and that [it] wanted to shut us down,” said Thomas Lesser, an attorney representing Back Door Donuts. “But that did not come from anybody on the board.”

The business wrote in an Instagram post that it has a “hater on the Island who has made it a priority to shut down [the] late-night operation.”

Board member Dion Alley reprimanded the owners Tuesday for their personal attack on a fellow Islander.

“We can have discourse, but we can also have dignity, right?” said Mr. Alley. “I don’t want to see this whole thing on social media where everyone’s jumping on someone else. Everyone has the right to their opinions… that’s part of the democracy we live in.”

Board member Emma Green-Beach said Tuesday that the board will continue to communicate with the business, and encouraged its owners to use their powerful social media presence to hush its customers.

“When I was in high school and we wanted to go to Back Door Donuts, it was like, if you made too much noise, they locked the door on you,” she said. “That was part of the message. If you wanted a donut you had to be quiet.”