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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Charlotta Janssen, Owner of Chez Oskar on NYC Outdoor Dining Program Challenges
2:53:11
·
151 sec
Charlotta Janssen, owner of Chez Oskar in Bed Stuy, testifies about the challenges faced with the new outdoor dining program in NYC. She describes a complex and frustrating application process, strict enforcement of new rules, and limitations on outdoor dining structures that negatively impact her business and customer service.
- Applied in July, still hasn't received a license despite being compliant
- Received four summonses in March for canopy issues, had to modify setup to comply
- Current rules don't allow for adequate coverage or enclosure, limiting service capabilities
- Argues for allowing enclosable canopies, full coverage of diners, and year-round roadside dining
Charlotta Janssen
2:53:11
I'm on.
2:53:11
Hi, I'm Charlotte Janssen of Shay Oscar in Bed Stuy.
2:53:15
I applied in July.
2:53:17
I am compliant.
2:53:18
I still have not received a license and it's been hell.
2:53:23
Let's be real.
2:53:25
The current DOT rules are killing restaurants.
2:53:27
Follow them, bleed out, break them, get killed by fines.
2:53:32
This March, DOT came down hard on me with four summonses in under two weeks for my canopy.
2:53:38
All winter, I had begged LPC to review my design.
2:53:42
There is no precedence.
2:53:43
I'm tossed around between LPC, DOB and DOT again and again.
2:53:49
I had to cut back my canopy which served my community.
2:53:52
I
Julie Menin
2:53:53
had
Charlotta Janssen
2:53:53
to cut them back to be awnings.
2:53:54
I am compliant, but what I'm left with is a setup that doesn't serve my customers, it doesn't serve my block, and it sure as hell doesn't serve the spirit of outdoor dining.
2:54:04
I can only cover half my diners.
2:54:07
I can't enclose.
2:54:08
Try planning service and food outdoors every day.
2:54:11
If it rains, if temperatures dip, it's over.
2:54:15
Imagine doing that at a wedding.
2:54:17
During the pandemic, canopies didn't just help, they saved us.
2:54:22
Shay Oscar's, Secret Garden, Zacca Cafe, DS Kelly, Ingles Nationale.
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We made it because we had beautiful, strong, enclosable, and sound mitigating canopies.
2:54:33
They gave us real capacity, real shelter, and real presence.
2:54:37
We created solutions because we were allowed to.
2:54:40
Now we're being punished for that creativity.
2:54:43
The new rules are anti business, anti design, and anti community based on the worst actors and enforced like we are criminals.
2:54:52
This isn't regulation.
2:54:54
It's sabotage.
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Please allow for enclosable canopies on the sidewalk and roadside that can attach, not penetrate.
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Allow for full coverage of diners and where needed pedestrians.
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Allow for self certification unless there's a history of serious violations.
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Make roadside year round requiring removal when roads are repaved.
2:55:14
No need for landlord consent.
2:55:18
For small bomb and pop businesses.
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We're not asking I'm closing.
2:55:23
We're not asking for chaos.
2:55:25
We're asking for the freedom to build what saved us.
2:55:28
Stop choking the very engine that kept this city eating.
2:55:32
Let outdoor dining remain a space for creativity and community.
2:55:36
Let us keep building what worked instead of forgettable feeding troughs.
2:55:40
Thank you.
2:55:41
You.