https://sf.eater.com/2019/9/17/20869268/sf-restaurants-meet-city-hall-board-of-supervisors-crisisSF Restaurant Leaders Sound Alarm on Industry Crisis at City Hall MeetingIn an hours-long City Hall hearing yesterday to address the state of SF restaurants, chefs and business owners described an industry experiencing death by a thousand cuts. Pointing to wide-ranging issues — hefty permitting fees and a slow inspection process; nearly insurmountable minimum wage and healthcare costs; employee retention difficulties amid soaring rents and poor public transit options; and increased competition and costs from online delivery — restaurateurs pleaded with City Supervisors to make changes, and quickly.
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One potential change discussed at the hearing would help Flore right away: Waiving the cafe’s yearly permitting fees for outdoor sidewalk seating, which rose from $2,365 in 2013 to $4,338 in 2018, according to Alan.
“Permit fees [are] the low hanging fruit,†said North Beach Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who also called for streamlining the city’s complicated permitting process, which can sometimes entail duplicate inspections. “We need somebody who walks these people through the various steps,†Peskin said.
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“We’re all painfully aware of increased rents and inflexible landlords,†added Thomas, who suggested a tax incentive for landlords to rent vacant spaces. Thomas also proposed that restaurant owners be a part of the city’s process to address gross receipts and payroll tax reform: Healthcare spending requirements and minimum wages, which have leapt up 52 percent since 2012, make it difficult to stay afloat, (Golden Gate Restaurant Association representative Laurie) Thomas said.
While this happened in SF, it's equivalent has probably happened - or will soon - in many cities around the US. Cities are killing their golden-egg-laying geese.
