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Q&A
Addressing the disconnect between DOT claims and restaurant complaints
1:40:15
·
45 sec
Council Member Julie Menin highlights a disconnect between DOT's claims of responsiveness and complaints from restaurants and industry representatives. DOT officials defend their responsiveness and offer to address specific issues.
- Julie Menin reports complaints about bureaucratic red tape and lack of communication from DOT
- Margaret Forgione claims excellent response times and willingness to assist individual businesses
- DOT offers to 'hand hold' any businesses experiencing difficulties with the application process
Julie Menin
1:40:15
sounds great.
1:40:15
It's just not what we're hearing in the field.
1:40:17
It totally contradicts complaints that I'm getting to my office that I know that my colleagues are getting, that the Hospitality Alliance is getting, where people feel that it's stuck in bureaucratic red tape and that they're not hearing back from DOT.
1:40:30
So there seems to be a total disconnect between what you're saying and what we're hearing from restaurants and the hospitality alliance.
Margaret Forgione
1:40:36
Well, actually, the folks who were here before us, a lot of them indicated an excellent response out of DOT, and we are returning all the calls within a day or so.
1:40:45
We've responded to every email.
1:40:47
We don't have a backlog, so we're actually being very responsive.
1:40:50
And if you know of any businesses or your colleagues that are having trouble, let us know, and we will have someone hand hold their hand immediately and go to them if they want us to go
Julie Menin
1:40:58
to town.
1:40:59
We will we will definitely do that.
1:41:00
Now why do you think so few restaurants are applying?