The city is cracking down on local restaurants that have outdoor tables on the sidewalk, most notably in the Uptown area. Last December, a letter was sent to business owners that said they had to pay the city $350 per outside table per year. Most of them ignored the letter, but now they are faced with paying the fee.
The general consensus from local business owners is that it’s expensive, but they will do it for their customers. Most local restaurants are looking at paying between $1200 – 2000 per location for all of their outside tables. The spokesperson for the City Safety & Permits says this only comes out to around $1 per table per day.
Some businesses, however, will have to lose their outdoor seating altogether. Rue de la Course is removing their outdoor seating due to the fines imposed by the city.
They also have to make sure there is at least 400 ft of public walking space. This sidewalk ordinance pertains to Uptown, Magazine and Carrollton area, and the French Quarter. Although they haven’t started hard enforcing yet, it seems it is coming soon. Business owners that don’t pay will be cited $500 per day until the fee is paid.
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