Ladies who lunch, beware: the city’s Department of Consumer Affairs has issued notices to 17 restaurants around town, ordering them to close their sidewalk dining areas or comply with zoning laws.
“Please be advised you have 100 business days from and including May 1 to complete one of the following options,” said the notice, detailing three choices: prove the sidewalk areas are on private property, file for a zoning exemption, or forfeit their permits for outdoor seating. Effected restaurants include Sant Ambroeus, Friend of a Farmer, and Sushi Choshi.
Ostensibly, the crackdown is to make sure sidewalks stay open for walking, clearly a much bigger concern for New Yorkers than finding places to eat outside.
(Photo: La Ciatta Vita/Flickr)
