It has been two and a half years since LA County allowed outdoor patio dining in May 2020, and cities are proposing new permits that threaten outdoor dining. The problem is that there are still customers who are reluctant to dine-in indoors, and people are even enjoying the outdoor dining culture now.
However, major city governments are now charging fees for outdoor patio operations as of March. Different city governments have different standards, scope of permission, and scale of fees, even throughout the same LA county.
For now, the LA city government plans to end the temporary permit program for outdoor dining in early March and set the standard for fees to be charged for patio operations. Due to this, restaurant owners aren’t happy.
Lee, who runs a sandwich shop in Hollywood, said, “We are considering making outdoor dining in the parking lot in front of the restaurant permanent, but it will cost at least $8,000 to $9,000 a year.”
LA East, a media outlet that delivers information on LA dining culture, recently pointed out that cafes and restaurants frequented by young customers in Long Beach and Santa Monica are in a similar dilemma. This is because some customers who still ask for outdoor seating.
According to the media, in the case of Santa Monica, businesses that have been operating outdoor dining in street parking spaces near the pier will have to pay as much as $60,000 a year to apply for a new outdoor business license. This is because you have to pay a one-time fee of $1450 per seat.
Long Beach is known to have a flexible approach to promoting Patio’s permanentization in order to increase tax revenue. The key is to use the parking space in front of the existing business as a rental concept without a one-time fee and submit a construction plan for the space to be verified for safety and hygiene. Of course, the cost varies depending on the area and distance.
The restaurant industry near LA is advising that major cities will announce related regulations in April-May, and that measures for each business need to be established.
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