Table for 2 on the Patio?

I should make this a longer post or revisit it at a later date, but I don’t have time right now. But I wanted to vent about how stupid San Francisco can be at times- especially the residents.

Ever been to my favorite restaurant in SF? You know how they have two tables outside on the sidewalk? You know that permit they have to post on the window behind the two tables? Do you know how hard it was for them to get that permit? Well, you should.

I forget about stuff like that- but the other day I was walking with Angie and Mike in the gayborhood and Mike wanted some coffee. We stopped by a cute cafe on the sunny side of the street and went in. I don’t remember how the topic came up, but we asked about tables outside.

That set the owner off on a tirade about how he initially filed to get the permits for some tables out front back in January. They’ve already had two hearings about it (what a great bureaucratic mess) and either at one or both hearings they were turned down because a neighbor who lives (not directly) above the cafe towards the back complained.

I’m sure there’s a bit more to the story, but even though she lives above commercial space at the back, she thinks the outdoor tables would lead to her getting sick from second hand smoke, the patrons would block the (dead end) alley’s access to emergency vehicles (which don’t get called there that often if at all) and her not being able to sleep (even though the cafe closes at or before 8).

Anyway, the owner asked Angie and Mike if they wouldn’t mind writing a letter to the board as they live in the ‘hood. What a pain in the ass.

There was a good article about the whole process that a restaurant needs to go through to get one small table outside on sfgate.com but I can’t find it. I’m also looking for another one lamenting the lack of outdoor tables and describing how SF isn’t as tourist friendly as people think and then goes on to talk about sipping coffee outside in Paris, in Italy, but no, don’t bother with that here.

Bah, I’ll stop ranting for now.

Hrm here’s an article about a cafe in Berkeley- but it’s not the same one I was talking about. . .