Mpls. Reconsiders Cutting Off Booze and Music At Uptown Patios

[Drewcifer]

Originally Posted by Ghengis

at the end of the day it is the residents that vote for the council member in that district trying to serve her constituents and trying to keep her job, that's the way this thing works. No bar owner is going to pull up stakes because they can't be outside after 10 pm.

A good patio bar rush on a regular basis may be the difference between profit and loss for some places. For most of the recession I was the head chef of a restaurant in Uptown that had a popular patio. Our summer bar rushes kept us in business. Without the sales volume they added our fixed costs would have been too high to turn a profit. Dining business alone wasn't enough.

[Clifford63]

Originally Posted by Drewcifer

A good patio bar rush on a regular basis may be the difference between profit and loss for some places. For most of the recession I was the head chef of a restaurant in Uptown that had a popular patio. Our summer bar rushes kept us in business. Without the sales volume they added our fixed costs would have been too high to turn a profit. Dining business alone wasn't enough.

Sounds like an overly aggressive business model to me. That said, if city gave permits and investments were made, it seems wrong to have permits pulled unless there is some egregious noise problem that the business has neglected to address in a reasonable and timely fashion. The city understands that people that drink get louder as the night rolls on and issued the permit with that knowledge. Some some implicit tolerance to noise seems implied.

[Drewcifer]

Originally Posted by Clifford63

Sounds like an overly aggressive business model to me.

Most people don't understand the restaurant business. Margins are always very tight and as a result you have to chase every profitable dollar that you reasonably can. Most restaurants have to sell their food at the break even point or at a loss to be price competitive, they make their money back on drinks. So a good bar rush is much more lucrative than dinner. Dinner just exists to get you to buy wine and beer.

Rents for restaurant spaces in Uptown are high, especially for those with patios. Those high rents are predicated on the idea that you will be busy late into the night during patio season. It is part of the neighborhood business model. If you close the patios early then revenues fall throughout the neighborhood. Places will go out of business, commercial property values will go down, and tax revenues will go with them.

[Clifford63]

Originally Posted by Drewcifer

Most people don't understand the restaurant business. Margins are always very tight and as a result you have to chase every profitable dollar that you reasonably can. Most restaurants have to sell their food at the break even point or at a loss to be price competitive, they make their money back on drinks. So a good bar rush is much more lucrative than dinner. Dinner just exists to get you to buy wine and beer.

Rents for restaurant spaces in Uptown are high, especially for those with patios. Those high rents are predicated on the idea that you will be busy late into the night during patio season. It is part of the neighborhood business model. If you close the patios early then revenues fall throughout the neighborhood. Places will go out of business, commercial property values will go down, and tax revenues will go with them.

It circles back to what I started with. City is not going to yank permits in a heartbeat because it translates to $$. The winner here seems to be the property owners.

[Drewcifer]

Originally Posted by Clifford63

It circles back to what I started with. City is not going to yank permits in a heartbeat because it translates to $$. The winner here seems to be the property owners.

Yes, and also people who work in the hospitality industry because there are more jobs than there would otherwise be. It also benefits homeowners because the city uses high commercial property taxes to offset lower taxes on residential properties.

In this case Meg Tuthill really is passionately anti-patio, I know her personally, this isn't a guess. So there is at least one city council member who really wants this to happen. It remains to be seen how her constituents feel. My guess is the older homeowners are with her while the younger renters are against it. There are also a lot of people who work in the restaurant business living in her district, so this may not be smartest stand for her politically.

[ManBearPig1]

Originally Posted by Drewcifer

Yes, and also people who work in the hospitality industry because there are more jobs than there would otherwise be. It also benefits homeowners because the city uses high commercial property taxes to offset lower taxes on residential properties.

In this case Meg Tuthill really is passionately anti-patio, I know her personally, this isn't a guess. So there is at least one city council member who really wants this to happen. It remains to be seen how her constituents feel. My guess is the older homeowners are with her while the younger renters are against it. There are also a lot of people who work in the restaurant business living in her district, so this may not be smartest stand for her politically.

It always amazes me how the Council Member representing uptown is so anti-density, pro-cars and parking, pro-booze restrictions and generally anti-what makes uptown great. I know I am definitely voting against her in the next city council election.

[Clifford63]

Originally Posted by Drewcifer

Yes, and also people who work in the hospitality industry because there are more jobs than there would otherwise be. It also benefits homeowners because the city uses high commercial property taxes to offset lower taxes on residential properties.

In this case Meg Tuthill really is passionately anti-patio, I know her personally, this isn't a guess. So there is at least one city council member who really wants this to happen. It remains to be seen how her constituents feel. My guess is the older homeowners are with her while the younger renters are against it. There are also a lot of people who work in the restaurant business living in her district, so this may not be smartest stand for her politically.

What they need in the council is problem solvers. THis guy had world hunger figured out years ago.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...k_e-nG_RBKDQqA