New category would help small restaurants be more competitive
The Huntington Town Board has scheduled a December 8 public hearing on creating a new category for food service businesses, “bistro,” that would allow smaller restaurants such as dine-in pizzerias and coffee shops to double the number of seats and apply for liquor licenses if they meet the new State requirements.
The proposal, sponsored by Councilwoman Tracey Edwards, is aimed at helping small businesses that serve food for on-premises consumption be more competitive and at keeping Town Code in line with evolving business interests within the community.
Currently, Town code has only two classifications: food shops, which cannot have more than 15 seats and cannot serve alcohol; and restaurants, which must have a floor plan of at least 2,500 square feet. Under the new classification, bistros would be permitted to have one seat for every 65 square feet of total gross floor area, up to a maximum of 38 seats for a 2,500-square-foot bistro. Bistros would also have to meet parking requirements and would be barred from having drive-through access. Additionally, no more than five percent of the total gross floor area open to the public can be used to display prepackaged retail products.
The proposed change to Town Code also separates the definition of tavern/bar, to more clearly distinguish those establishments from restaurants. Under the new definition, a tavern/bar is different from a restaurant in that it does not provide at all times kitchen facilities for food service and in that it does not have seating at tables and chairs for 90 percent of the lawful number of patrons. The opposite applies to restaurants. This code creates clarity with establishing four distinct classifications; Restaurants, Bistros, Food Shops, or Tavern/Bar.
“We need to make sure that we adjust Town code to keep up with the times and adjust to changing consumer preferences,” Supervisor Frank P. Petrone said. “For example, today, many people like to have a glass of wine or a beer with a slice of pizza. This change will help small eateries that traditionally are owned by local business people satisfy that demand and not lose customers to restaurants that already have that capability.”
“Creating the bistro classification will help preserve the type of unique, local businesses that are present in our small strip malls as well as in our local villages and hamlets” Councilwoman Edwards said. “This measure is important so that small businesses continue to have economic growth within the Town of Huntington.”