SAN DIEGO CITY COUNCIL TO VOTE ON PROPOSED CHANGES TO SIDEWALK CAFE REGULATIONS TUESDAY

May 13, 2013 (San Diego) – The San Diego City Council will vote on proposed changes to the city’s regulation and permitting process for sidewalk cafés at its meeting at 10 a.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 202 C St. in San Diego.

Leaders of the California Restaurant Association (CRA) San Diego County chapter have worked closely with city officials and the community to find ways to reconsider the existing burdensome and costly regulations that make it difficult for restaurant operators to expand their dining areas outdoors.

Current city regulations require restaurant owners to pay as much as $12,000 in city fees to add outdoor dining, on top of construction costs, making the venture cost-prohibitive for many small businesses. Restaurant industry leaders produced a proposal for ways to cut the bureaucratic red tape that has made operating a restaurant in San Diego more challenging than necessary.

“This sidewalk café reform is another example of the city council’s firm commitment to work with small businesses and help grow the local economy,” said Brigantine Family of Restaurants President Mike Morton Jr., who also heads the CRA San Diego County chapter

Mission Hills eatery Brooklyn Girl is just one business eager to make use of the soon-to-be altered regulations.

“We are incredibly excited and pleased that our city leaders heard our concerns and were willing to work with the industry to find a solution that worked for everyone,” Brooklyn Girl owner Mike McGeath said. “We hope expanding our dining space and providing al fresco seating will add more jobs and increase tax revenue for the city.

The restaurant industry is the largest contributor of taxable retail sales in the City of San Diego, with every dollar spent in restaurants creating an additional $0.63 spent in the greater San Diego economy.

For more information, go online at calrest.org/sandiego.