SAN FRANCISCO—As local restaurants in San Francisco have re-opened with outdoor dining restaurants, some are facing getting a permit to serve alcohol. No outdoor dining establishment in San Francisco has been granted a state permit to serve alcohol, despite customer’s requests. In order to allow outdoor restaurants to serve alcohol, the city of San Francisco needs to apply for the state variance required from the Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) to allow for this service, but has not yet applied for it. THe city of San Francisco has only sent in a “letter of intent” to apply on June 19.
If restaurants have applied for a temporary alcohol permit, those permits have not arrived. Both restaurants and bars must apply for a “Shared Spaces” permit to allow for outdoor dining. If they wish to add alcohol to their services, they must apply for a second state permit from the ABC called a “Temporary Catering Authorization.”
The application for this permit must include a diagram of the planned outdoor dining area, and proof that the outdoor dining area has been given the OK from law enforcement to provide drinks. The ABC permits are only in effect until the end of the last stage of reopening, and the Shared Spaces permits are set to expire at the end of 2020.
