A New Bill Could Solve Infamous Restaurant Permitting Problems
It's a tragic and common tale in the Bay Area: a would-be restaurateur is destroyed by mountains of paperwork and ongoing permitting entanglements, draining the cash and steam before opening. Assembly Bill 671 might cure this ailment. The San Francisco Chronicle reports Assembly Members Buffy Wicks of Oakland and Jesse Gabriel of Los Angeles County authored a bill that would require 'local building departments to approve or deny restaurants' permit applications within 20 business days.'
This might sound humdrum, but those in the industry know this would be a game changer. Further, resubmitted changes would only get a 10-day response window. If department workers fail to meet these time frames, permits would be automatically approved. While building permits are just one of the different kinds of permits required for newcomers, this expediting could make a difference; Saltwater Bakeshop, for instance, has been delayed more than two years in opening due to these processes. The bill will be heard in the chamber on Monday, August 18.
San Jose coffee pros open new shop
The operators at Academic Coffee in San Jose, one of the city's favorite specialty shops, have opened Playback Coffee Co. with a grand opening set for Saturday, July 26. To ring in the affair, there'll be DJs for a pop-up coffee and house music party starting at 10 a.m. The new cafe is located inside the San Pedro Square Market and is open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The Bay Area is only okay at tipping
The data is in, and it looks like tipping between 15 and 20 percent is more of an aspiration than a reality for many in the Bay. The San Francisco Standard worked with payment firm Square to analyze tipping data from 2022 to 2025 across the region. Per the findings, Northern California 'never quite reached 15 percent.' The outlet found San Francisco at 14.8 percent average tip for food and beverage, and that Antioch has the area's best tippers at an average of 15.4 percent.
Mexican restaurant launches DJ series
In the same music-heavy spirit, Celia's Mexican Restaurant is throwing its first vinyl brunch listening party at its Outer Sunset location on Saturday, July 26. Bottomless mimosas, new brunch offerings, and lots of cumbia and Latin music selected by Discodelic Records await guests. The idea came from owner Phil Havlicek and Sal Lopez's love of Mexico City-style listening parties. The festivities start at 11 a.m. and run until 3 p.m.
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