Cost of maintaining parklets too expensive for some San Francisco restaurants

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — San Francisco started rolling out new guidelines and laws for parklets within the metropolis at first of April.

For the primary time, native eating places should pay to be able to hold their parklets in operation.

For Mahmoud Khossoussi, the price of maintaining the parklets exterior his two San Francisco eating places, merely wasn’t value it.

“It should price me round $100,000 at the very least,” Khossoussi mentioned.

MORE: Some San Franciscans hesitant as mayor pushes for everlasting eating parklets

Observe new, stricter guidelines and pay charges, and eating places could make the out of doors eating areas everlasting.

“Charges for parklets vary relying on the tier of parklet that you simply’re in search of to function in addition to what number of parking areas that you simply’re in search of to occupy,” mentioned Robin Abad-Ocubillo, the parklet program’s director.

However some type of aid may quickly be coming. Native restaurant teams say they have been working with metropolis leaders to seek out methods to chop the prices of sustaining parklets.

For Mahmoud, that assist would come too late. It is the price of constructing his parklets and making them as much as code that is the actual killer.

MORE: Everlasting out of doors eating parklets in SF? Why not everyone seems to be on board

“If somebody’s brief on money and has to entrance that cash, if you cannot workers for it. There’s all this stuff that you simply’re like, is that this actually value it or ought to I simply take it down,” mentioned Laurie Thomas, of the Golden Gate Restaurant Affiliation.

Whereas town is providing some incentives already, the Golden Gate Restaurant Affiliation is making an attempt to get officers to waive the charges – at the very least for the primary yr.

They are saying whereas they acknowledge that it takes cash to run the parklet program, many eating places within the metropolis are simply scraping by.

And after a couple of tough years for Mahmoud, his choice was simple.

“With a view to hold the doorways open for my clients, we can not afford to do this. It is so simple as that,” Khossoussi mentioned.

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