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Applebees is a private business and owns that area where their customers walk. Applebees can close that area off if they want.
The sidewalk running parallel to the street can not be roped off by a homeowner nor can a citizen sue if he falls on a public sidewalk that the snow has been cleared by a homeowner.
Whether it could be closed or not was not relevant to the case. Just that it had been altered from its natural state. As I said, the local news(Dayton, OH area) covered this story as well and advised homeowners not to shovel their sidewalks due to the current(at least at the time) law regardless of whether there was a city ordinance saying you should.