Finding Reasons for Al Fresco Dining a Breeze

By Constance Tillotson and Jorge Casuso

June 6 -- Ask Andres Vazquez, the shift manager at George’s Bistro, for a table, and you’ll often get an option: Be seated immediately inside the restaurant amidst intricate details that evoke the mood of a Renoir painting, or wait for a table with black iron chairs on the thimble-sized patio outside.

“Many people would prefer to be on a waiting list to sit outside than to take an immediate seat inside,” Vazquez said. “Our patio brings in a lot of people, big time. They want to see everything that is going on outside.”

“For us, it is a big attraction,” said Jon Stevenson, general manager of the Broadway Deli. “So much so that we are currently submitting paperwork to open up an outdoor area on the Broadway side.”

For a dozen restaurants on the popular Third Street Promenade, outdoor dining provides an added attraction -- a front-row seat to the natural street theater unfolding beyond the shaded tables -- that has kept the cash registers ringing through both good times and bad.

“It’s an important part of business for many restaurants, not just for sales but for enticing people,” said Robert O. York, a consultant to the Bayside District. “It helps send another signal that it’s a vibrant area.”

Since the Promenade opened to the public more than a decade ago, outdoor dining has been a key ingredient in its recipe for success, along with a healthy helping of movie theaters and the flavor added by street performers.

“A successful area like the Promenade is a combination of ingredients, and one of the core ingredients is the outdoor dining,” said Mark Richter, the City’s economic development manager in charge of the Bayside. “It enlivens the street by creating an ambience where we encourage people to lengthen their stay and enjoy the environment.”

“It’s one of the things that defines the Promenade,” said John Warfel, the chair of the Bayside Board, which runs the Downtown. “Especially during the non-peak hours, it adds life to the street. It defines the look and ambience of the Promenade.”

In hopes of enticing some of the popular strip’s 10 million annual visitors to turn the corner, City officials are encouraging the spread of outdoor dining to neighboring streets increasingly dotted with restaurants.

But offering al fresco dining on the side streets poses a number of challenges. The sidewalks are much narrower than along the Promenade, accommodating fewer tables. In addition, diners must enjoy their meals just a few feet away from passing motor traffic banned on the pedestrian mall.

“Second and Fourth streets do not yet have very active pedestrian usage,” Richter said. “But we anticipate that will increase, which will make it important to enliven the street scene. The Transit Mall (along Santa Monica Boulevard and Broadway) has the traffic, but it’s livelier there.”

At Ye Olde Kings Head on Santa Monica Boulevard, owner Ruth Elwell unveiled the new outdoor dining venue outside the 29-year-old restaurant and pub last month. On its first day it was overcast and chilly, and the diners were opting to sip their tea in the indoor booths.

Even though the sun failed to break through the clouds, Elwell looked upon her shiny new outdoor accommodations with bright optimism.

“A few of us sat outdoors and had our lunch today,” she said. “I was sitting, facing the ocean, and I just thought what a great view this was. It didn’t matter it was cold today. Weather can’t change this view.”

The opening of outdoor dining at Ye Olde Kings Head -- which required a barrier in order to serve alcohol -- marks the completion of a two year project. City officials promised to set standards that would allow proposals to be approved on a “fast track” in time for the Transit Mall’s grand opening two years ago, but final approval didn’t come until last month.

“It’s been a nightmare,” said Elwell. “We attended the City meeting that had plans laid out to put us on the ‘fast track.’ What originally sounded good turned out to be a waste of time. We had to bring in an architect because of so many hoops we had to jump through.”

City officials acknowledge that there were delays in the process. Hammering out the standards proved more time consuming than expected, with both the Planning Commission and Architectural Review Board expressing concerns about safety and aesthetics.

“The design standards were bandied back and forth several times,” Richter said.
In addition, after the standards were adopted, it took time for the applications to be reviewed by staff. “It is a process any applicant has to go through,” Richter said.

But while diners along the Transit Mall can finally enjoy the outdoors, they’d better not forget their dark UV-blocking sunglasses and sweaters, since the City has banned umbrellas and free-standing heaters on the narrow sidewalks, to the chagrin of restaurant owners.

“Umbrellas are a universal welcoming symbol of ‘come and dine with us,’” Elwell said. “They provide a warmth, an intimacy. You go to Spain, France, Italy, you see great, colorful umbrellas at the outdoor restaurants. I hope someone will look at this for a revision.”

While outdoor dining has its perks, both for restaurant owners and the City, there are some drawbacks for the diners, especially those who don’t smoke. With California law banning all indoor smoking, outdoor patios sometimes have enough smoke to quickly wilt that Nicoise salad with dressing on the side.

“With the smoking law, our business absolutely saw an increase when we opened our patio,” said Susie Gillan, a bartender at Britannia. “Also, many Europeans come and enjoy their smoke with their drink.”

So far there has been little friction between smokers and non-smokers, Gillan said. “I haven’t heard anyone complain. A lot of people who have been stuck working indoors all day are just happy to be able to relax and sit outdoors.”

Diners at the Broadway Deli are happy to brave outdoor smoke, the homeless who sometimes approach for some change or a bite to eat, even the bus exhaust and auto noise.

“With the homeless we are stern, but fair,” said Stevenson. “The people are very understanding. They are relaxed, sitting outside in the sunshine, just enjoying the day.”