SF European Cafes

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Why does SF look so European? Why is it so easy to drink expressos there compared to other cities in the US? Why are there so many European style cafes???

-- Elsa Grassy (grassy@uclink4.berkeley.edu), September 23, 1999

Answers

It's amazing isn't it: less than five years ago it was illegal to occupy public sidewalks with cafe tables. Former supervisor Angela Alioto can claim credit for the change. Now restaurants may serve full meal and alcohol "al fresco" and even enclose the sidewalk in tentlike structures for half the year. Moreover, instead of paying market rate rent to the city for the use of public property, restaurants and cafes pay $150 per year per table. What an incredible subsidy! What small businessman would pass it up?

-- robert bardell (bbardell@pacbell.net), September 23, 1999.

Part of this is a concession to smokers. My raw poll says that 50% of these outdoor seats have active ashtrays.

-- Kurt Iversen (iversenk @ aol.com), September 27, 1999.

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