It will put me out of business,'' said Jon Becker, a leader in the Ocean Drive Association and the owner of the Palace and the Compass cafes on Ocean Drive. We're already operating on razor-thin profits. This year we've lost money. This would be a back-breaker. Becker and others also say it's unfair to force them to provide extra bathrooms for the tables on the sidewalk because that area is not part of their premises.
Restaurants lease the space from the city for an annual permit fee.
But a bigger problem for many of the restaurateurs is finding room for more toilets. Many cafes, particularly those in Art Deco buildings, are so small there is no place to add bathrooms. I don't know how we can find the space,'' said Peter Salimonas, manager of Rosinella on Lincoln Road. We can't destroy the restaurant just to add an extra bathroom.'' The only other choice could be to get rid of the cafe tables. Resnick says that was never his intent.