With survival at stake, L.A. restaurants rush to reopen, pray the roller coaster ride is over
3 years, 11 months ago

With survival at stake, L.A. restaurants rush to reopen, pray the roller coaster ride is over

LA Times  

Yellow tape keeps customers out of the patio dining area at a Foster’s Freeze a few days before L.A. County will lift outdoor dining restrictions. Still, she said the frequently changing policy gnaws at her: “There’s so much stress … never having the security of knowing when they’re going to pull it out from underneath you again.” L.A. County health officials suspended outdoor dining in late November, prompting immediate outcry from pandemic-battered restaurateurs and pushback from residents and some politicians. “Please don’t take this news to mean that you can return to life as normal,” said L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis. Okuda said he spent about $150,000 turning his parking space and storage area into the restaurant’s outdoor dining area last summer. “We have to regroup back into the dining in mindset and really look at what’s in season,” he said.

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History of this topic

Outdoor dining was about to expire in L.A. this month. Why it just got a last-minute reprieve
4 weeks ago

Outdoor dining was about to expire in L.A. this month. Why it just got a last-minute reprieve

LA Times  

A pandemic-era outdoor dining program credited with helping Los Angeles restaurants survive at a time when so many have shuttered or are struggling was set to expire at the end of the year, possibly leaving hundreds of restaurateurs in limbo. The extension gave restaurant owners more time to apply for the permanent Al Fresco Program, which the City Council approved …

Did Mayor Karen Bass just save outdoor dining in L.A.?
5 months, 1 week ago

Did Mayor Karen Bass just save outdoor dining in L.A.?

LA Times  

After an outcry from city restaurateurs, a pandemic-era outdoor dining program that was set to end Wednesday was given a last-minute reprieve by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. “It’s inspiring and truly thrilling to see the fight from this community be channeled into championing itself.” Before the extension, Wednesday was to be the last day for restaurant owners within Los …

After more than a year of discussion, L.A. is ready to make outdoor dining permanent
1 year, 1 month ago

After more than a year of discussion, L.A. is ready to make outdoor dining permanent

LA Times  

Diners enjoy the outside patio at Casa Vega, a restaurant in Sherman Oaks. Outdoor dining was “wildly vital” to the restaurant’s survival during the COVID-19 pandemic, owner Christy Vega said. A last-minute amendment to the ordinance mandates that restaurants include one parking spot for disabled people on their property, a requirement that would effectively eliminate outdoor dining space for smaller …

A new California bill could save outdoor dining as we know it
1 year, 9 months ago

A new California bill could save outdoor dining as we know it

LA Times  

After years of pandemic-spurred pivots and local concern regarding the possible loss of parklet dining permits, restaurants could get help from a new state bill that would extend the life of temporary outdoor dining. In the end, all of our policies should balance business interests along with community impacts.” In part, the new state bill was inspired by the news …

Editorial: C’mon, Los Angeles. Make it really easy for restaurants to keep alfresco dining
1 year, 10 months ago

Editorial: C’mon, Los Angeles. Make it really easy for restaurants to keep alfresco dining

LA Times  

Gilberto Marquez and his daughter Cynthya at Guelaguetza restaurant in Los Angeles in 2020, in a dining area that was part of the parking lot that was converted to accommodate outdoor dining. Los Angeles, like many cities, waived regulations so more than 2,500 businesses could turn sidewalks and parking spaces into outdoor patios where people could eat, drink and socialize …

COVID-19 ravaged L.A. restaurants. Will permanent outdoor dining help save them?
3 years, 6 months ago

COVID-19 ravaged L.A. restaurants. Will permanent outdoor dining help save them?

LA Times  

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, right, talks with restaurant owners and workers Wednesday in the Little Tokyo section of downtown L.A. along 1st Street. Created under the mayor’s emergency authority in May 2020, the program, called L.A. Al Fresco, allowed restaurants to expand outdoor dining onto sidewalks, parking lots and sections of city streets. These authorizations aren’t slated to last …

A timeline tracing an impossible year in L.A. dining
3 years, 9 months ago

A timeline tracing an impossible year in L.A. dining

LA Times  

Beginning March 14, restaurants in Los Angeles County opened their dining rooms after being barred from serving indoors for most of the past 12 months. March 2020 — Concerns around COVID-19 accelerate and restaurants across Los Angeles begin to experience reservation cancellations and emptying dining rooms. “We’re prepared to work harder, we’re prepared to get through hard times, but we’re …

Welcome back: Restaurants, movie theaters, gyms reopen in L.A. County today
3 years, 9 months ago

Welcome back: Restaurants, movie theaters, gyms reopen in L.A. County today

LA Times  

Crystal Garcia, an assistant manager at Planet Fitness on Imperial Highway in Inglewood, wipes down treadmills with disinfectant while helping to prepare the gym for its reopening after being closed since July. “Now that we’re open, it’s certainly a good birthday,” Canter said Monday. As L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer noted Monday, “just because certain activities are allowed, …

Many L.A. restaurants are racing to get ready for indoor customers; others are waiting
3 years, 9 months ago

Many L.A. restaurants are racing to get ready for indoor customers; others are waiting

LA Times  

As indoor dining returns at 25% capacity on Monday, some L.A. County restaurateurs are racing to convert their makeshift offices and to-go assembly lines back into dining rooms this weekend. On Friday the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health released preliminary guidelines for California’s “red-tier” reopenings, including dining restrictions for indoor seating: Dining rooms can reopen at 25% of …

California’s outdoor dining ban was controversial. Did it help slow the COVID-19 surge?
3 years, 11 months ago

California’s outdoor dining ban was controversial. Did it help slow the COVID-19 surge?

LA Times  

An employee washes the windows at Baramee Thai Restaurant in San Pedro as it reopened Friday for outdoor dining. The dangers are such that “I’ve never gone to an outdoor dining restaurant since the pandemic began,” said UC Berkeley epidemiologist Dr. John Swartzberg. “I do think it’s very hard on people.” California Health and Human Services Agency Secretary Dr. Mark …

California reopening brings risks, potential economic rewards
3 years, 11 months ago

California reopening brings risks, potential economic rewards

LA Times  

Outdoor dining spaces will have the opportunity to reopen on Friday in Los Angeles County, including this downtown area in Covina, Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s abrupt move to lift stay-at-home orders — allowing outdoor dining and other business activities to resume — represents a gamble that California can avoid another deadly coronavirus surge in the coming months despite a slow, …

L.A. County to resume outdoor dining after COVID stay-at-home order is canceled
3 years, 11 months ago

L.A. County to resume outdoor dining after COVID stay-at-home order is canceled

LA Times  

Gavin Newsom’s announcement that the state is rescinding its coronavirus stay-at-home order, officials in Los Angeles County said they plan to take advantage of the relaxed restrictions — allowing for the immediate reopening of personal care services and outdoor dining at restaurants later this week. Shortly after the county’s ban went into effect, the state handed down the regional stay-at-home …

From restaurants to hair salons, what you need to know as L.A. County lifts stay-at-home COVID-19 rules
3 years, 11 months ago

From restaurants to hair salons, what you need to know as L.A. County lifts stay-at-home COVID-19 rules

LA Times  

La Boheme in West Hollywood served diners on its patio in July. Card rooms: These may open immediately for outdoor operations at 50% capacity. These may open immediately for outdoor operations at 50% capacity. Miniature golf/go karts/batting cages: These may open immediately for outdoor operations at 50% capacity. Personal care services, such as hair and nail salons: These may open …

L.A. restaurateur sues Newsom over outdoor dining ban
4 years ago

L.A. restaurateur sues Newsom over outdoor dining ban

LA Times  

The owner of Pineapple Hill Saloon & Grill is suing Gov. Gavin Newsom in federal court, seeking to overturn a ban on outdoor dining implemented across vast swaths of California in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Despite the L.A. County decision, Newsom’s state order prohibiting in-person dining remains in place, meaning outdoor dining will remain off-limits …

Column: The lack of help for our restaurants is a national disgrace
4 years ago

Column: The lack of help for our restaurants is a national disgrace

LA Times  

Sandra Cordero, chef and owner of Gasolina Cafe in Woodland Hills, has heard the word “pivot” a lot this year. “It feels like you’re begging people for business,” Cordero said, referring to the endless ways restaurants have been forced to pivot to save their businesses in the absence of meaningful state or federal aid: takeout and delivery offers; grocery sales; …

Guy Fieri and many others hate outdoor restaurant ban. Here’s why some experts say it’s essential
4 years ago

Guy Fieri and many others hate outdoor restaurant ban. Here’s why some experts say it’s essential

LA Times  

The controversial ban on outdoor restaurant dining, part of an effort to break the back of California’s coronavirus surge, has clearly touched a nerve. The assistant secretary for health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Adm. Brett Giroir, said on Fox News that “I don’t know of any data that says you need to shut down outdoor …

Pasadena, the last holdout in L.A. County, closes outdoor dining amid state orders
4 years, 1 month ago

Pasadena, the last holdout in L.A. County, closes outdoor dining amid state orders

LA Times  

Pasadena halted outdoor dining on Sunday night amid state health orders, making it the last city in the county to do so. Pasadena became the last city in Los Angeles County to close outdoor dining on Sunday night, as most of California fell under the state’s sweeping regional stay-at-home order that temporarily bans the practice. The city grabbed headlines in …

L.A. County must show evidence for outdoor dining ban, judge orders
4 years, 1 month ago

L.A. County must show evidence for outdoor dining ban, judge orders

LA Times  

Supporters and business owners of area restaurants listen to a news conference held by the California Coalition for Safe Reopening at the Abbey in West Hollywood on Nov. 25. A judge on Wednesday ordered Los Angeles County public health officials to show scientific evidence justifying the outdoor dining ban imposed last week amid soaring coronavirus cases. The county must return …

Restaurant workers out of work again as virus surges anew
4 years, 1 month ago

Restaurant workers out of work again as virus surges anew

Associated Press  

Waiters and bartenders are being thrown out of work — again — as governors and local officials shut down indoor dining and drinking establishments to combat the nationwide surge in coronavirus infections that is overwhelming hospitals and dashing hopes for a quick economic recovery. Restaurant owner Greg Morena in Los Angeles County was trying to figure out his next step …

Judge rejects plea by restaurant group to block L.A. County ban on outdoor dining
4 years, 1 month ago

Judge rejects plea by restaurant group to block L.A. County ban on outdoor dining

LA Times  

Diners eat at a restaurant in Redondo Beach. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge declined Tuesday morning to block a ban on outdoor dining from going into effect in Los Angeles County, rejecting an 11th-hour plea by the state’s leading restaurant group. With outdoor dining across L.A. County set to shut down Wednesday night amid a continuing surge in new …

Koreatown’s OB Bear damaged by fire; L.A. County supervisors discuss outdoor dining ban
4 years, 1 month ago

Koreatown’s OB Bear damaged by fire; L.A. County supervisors discuss outdoor dining ban

LA Times  

This week in dining news: L.A. County supervisors discuss new restrictions The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will discuss the rollout of restrictions on outdoor dining at a board meeting Tuesday; the new rules were announced by the Department of Public Health on Sunday. Supervisor Kathryn Barger said she opposes the measures because of their effect on local businesses, …

Critics say L.A. County’s suspension of outdoor dining will ‘further devastate’ economy
4 years, 1 month ago

Critics say L.A. County’s suspension of outdoor dining will ‘further devastate’ economy

LA Times  

The decision to temporarily suspend outdoor dining for restaurants in Los Angeles County in hopes of slowing an unprecedented surge in coronavirus cases has sparked a backlash from eateries and some county officials, who worry about the devastating economic toll. However, Supervisor Kathryn Barger said Monday that “these proposed measures by the Department of Public Health will further devastate local …

L.A. County restaurant owners fear they won’t survive another COVID-19 shutdown
4 years, 1 month ago

L.A. County restaurant owners fear they won’t survive another COVID-19 shutdown

LA Times  

L.A. County public health officials announced a three-week suspension of in-person dining that will begin Wednesday night. “Usually the holidays are a nice little bump for us, but it looks like that’s not going to happen this year.” Shaw said he fears the ban on outdoor dining would extend beyond three weeks — and that Beaches is going to be …

Pasadena will allow outdoor dining to continue despite L.A. County health order
4 years, 1 month ago

Pasadena will allow outdoor dining to continue despite L.A. County health order

LA Times  

Patrons enjoy dinner outside Perle Restaurant in Pasadena. The Pasadena City Council will allow restaurants to continue outdoor dining despite a new L.A. County health order to suspend such operations for three weeks due to the alarming coronavirus surge. The announcement was made after Monday’s City Council meeting and a day after Los Angeles County said it would halt in-person …

L.A. County suspends outdoor dining at restaurants as coronavirus surges
4 years, 1 month ago

L.A. County suspends outdoor dining at restaurants as coronavirus surges

LA Times  

In a devastating blow to Los Angeles’ struggling restaurant and hospitality industry, L.A. County public health officials on Sunday announced they will suspend outdoor dining at restaurants amid a surge of new coronavirus cases. “The persistent high number of cases requires additional safety measures that limit mixing in settings where people are not wearing masks,” Barbara Ferrer, the Los Angeles …

Here’s what restaurants are doing to revive the charm of dining out
4 years, 2 months ago

Here’s what restaurants are doing to revive the charm of dining out

The Hindu  

The verandahs are alive with the sound of cutlery. “It now has an outdoor garden, a frat house setting and another separate terrace which was initially the smoking zone,” says Howie, adding that the multi-level, 12,500 square feet space, which earlier accommodated 300 people, now — adhering to the new rules — seats around 140. “Every city has its own …

L.A.-area parking spots have become dining areas during the pandemic. Will it last?
4 years, 5 months ago

L.A.-area parking spots have become dining areas during the pandemic. Will it last?

LA Times  

Brandon and Rose Astudillo of Glendale eat dinner at Baracoa Cuban Cafe in Atwater Village in a new outdoor seating area that occupies three parking spaces. “A table in a parking space, I was a little surprised,” utility inspector Luis Castillo said as he and a co-worker ate blackened tilapia and arroz con pollo. Whether Southern California’s expanded outdoor dining …

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