A pandemic-era outdoor dining program credited with helping Los Angeles restaurants survive at a time when many have closed or are struggling is set to expire at the end of the year, possibly It would leave hundreds of restaurateurs in limbo.
On Wednesday, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced a one-year extension of the Al Fresco Temporary Authorization initiative. The program allows food and beverage establishments within the city limits of Los Angeles to continue operating in outdoor spaces established during the pandemic.
“This extension is a notable victory for everyone, including those in the public and private sectors, who have been navigating layers of bureaucracy,” said Eddie Navarrette, executive director of the Independent Hospitality Coalition, a group that advocates and supports independents. restaurants.
Navarette described the mayor's one-year pardon as “generous” and hopes it will give city departments the opportunity to implement improvements to the application process, which he and other restaurant operators have said can be confusing and burdensome.
This is the second time the program, which was initially set to expire in July, has been given a lifeline. After protests from the city's restaurateurs, Bass extended the program one day before sunset. The extension gave restaurant owners more time to apply for the permanent Al Fresco Program, which the City Council approved about a year ago with the application process opening in February.
But that first extension simply wasn't enough for most restaurants, said Navarette, who has helped several restaurants apply for various permits over the years. He argued that the program should be less complicated so restaurant owners don't have to spend money hiring a specialist, like him, to navigate the lengthy application process.
Restaurateurs were also upset that the city was not operating within the same timeline set at the state level when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 1217 into law, which extended outdoor dining and other pandemic-era provisions through July 2026. .
Christian Frizzell, owner of the Redwood Bar & Grill, a downtown Los Angeles venue since the 1930s revived as a pirate-themed pub, was one of the first to apply for the outdoor dining program. During the pandemic it spent more than $30,000 to build outdoor seating, which now accounts for 10% to 20% of its sales.
Those are sales Frizzell said he can't afford to lose. He said he understands the city's central concern is keeping the public safe, but the process, he explained, has been so “frustrating” that he had to hire Navarrette as a consultant.
“Right now we are very tight with everything, with prices and inflation,” he said of his fight to keep the Redwood open. “And the workforce has increased a lot. “Many have moved away from the center.”
It's a tough time for restaurant owners across the industry, although new places with big ambitions continue to open. Higher labor costs, rising food prices and the fallout from the pandemic have forced many Los Angeles-area restaurants — at least 65 last year — to close their doors. Restaurant operators continue to go out of business and restaurants continue to close.
In a statement, Bass said more than $1 million in financial assistance is being made available to support restaurants and provide relief for permit fees as they transition from the temporary to the permanent city program.
“Thousands of businesses have received assistance this year by building on our push to make City Hall an advocate for business, not a barrier,” Bass said. “That's why we're extending the deadline for the Outdoor Cookout Program, because we need to support businesses and help them thrive.”
