Sunday, January 10, 2016

Poco goes before City Council Tuesday for sidewalk cafe approval


[EVG photo from last month]

Several EVG readers passed along word that reps from Poco were outside the restaurant on Avenue B and East Third Street this weekend collecting signatures in support of receiving a license for their sidewalk cafe.

Last month, CB3 voted to deny the renewal of a sidewalk cafe permit for Poco, who advertises having a "legendary boozy brunch."

Here's part of CB3's lengthy denial. (You can find the PDF of the minutes from the December meeting here.)

WHEREAS, this applicant was first heard by Community Board 3 in May of 2009 for a sidewalk café permit for twenty-two (22) tables and forty-four (44) seats and was denied because the applicant conceded at that time that it had already been operating a sidewalk café without a permit; and

WHEREAS, this applicant then obtained a sidewalk café permit for ten (10) tables and twenty (20) seats; and

WHEREAS, this applicant was then heard for an alteration to extend its liquor license to its sidewalk café in September of 2009 and withdrew its application before Community Board 3 to address ongoing complaints from residents of loud noise from people and music emanating from the business which was corroborated by the issuance of a police summons for unreasonable noise in August of 2009...

WHEREAS, this applicant was then heard for a renewal of its full on-premise liquor license in July of 2015 because Community Board 3 had received complaints from residents from April of 2014 through July of 2015, about the failure of the business to oversee the sidewalk, unruly drunk patrons from the business blocking the sidewalk, excessive noise from patrons and music emanating from the business, which has an open façade, as well as from its sidewalk café, all you can drink brunch specials, the sidewalk café operating past its permitted time of 10:00 P.M., the service of alcohol at the sidewalk café after its permitted closing time and the café taking up too much of the sidewalk; and

WHEREAS, in May of 2015, the Department of Consumer Affairs issued violations against this business for its sidewalk café exceeding its permitted footprint on the sidewalk and having ten (10) too many tables when it was permitted for ten (10) tables and twenty (20) seats with a closing time of 10:00 P.M. every day; and

WHEREAS, in July of 2015 the applicant conceded that she kept the sidewalk café open past her permitted closing time and was serving patrons food and drinks at the café after its permitted closing time and that she has unlimited drink specials served with meals at brunch but stated that she had addressed complaints about her sidewalk café and patrons on the sidewalk since first being calendared for a community board meeting in June of 2015...

... and later...

WHEREAS, Community Board 3 has received additional complaints, including from an area resident and community board member, that drunken patrons block and disrupt sidewalk use for area residents; and

WHEREAS, an area resident and public community board member has observed that this café regularly exceeds its permitted size by an additional ten (10) to fifteen (15) tables, as evidenced by the attached video recordings...

On Tuesday, Poco will appear before City Council (heres the agenda) to make their case for the sidewalk cafe. Ahead of that, they are collecting signatures...

We are more than a restaurant. We are more than bottomless brunch. We at Poco, are your friends and family and we need...

Posted by Poco Restaurant & Bar on Tuesday, January 5, 2016


There are 442 signatures at Change.org as of this evening... from around the country...



In the meantime, the flyer below was spotted in the hall of an adjacent residential building...



Poco opened in March 2009.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Big word alert: From the front lines of the Avenue B brunch war

18 comments:

Gojira said...

If you took away all the fake and "imported" signatures, I bet they'd be lucky to have 42 shills from the neighborhood on that thing. I hope the City Council doesn't fall for such an obvious ploy.

Scuba Diva said...

Yeah, I particularly looked askance at the commenter who said they'd been to Poco for the brunch and called the outdoor seating "picturesque. The fact that someone is trying to take that away is heartbreaking."

????

Maybe we'd like public use of the sidewalks for a change—instead of 'legendary' drunks lolling all over it!

And how about "if someone doesn't like the traffic in Manhattan, they need to move to Brooklyn." Why don't they just suggest Kansas—which is probably where they're from?

What's this "need" to move to Brooklyn? Entitled much?

IzF said...

I fucking hate Poco

Anonymous said...

This place is a FUCKING nightmare: even when there's nobody outside and all the doors and windows are closed, it's so loud when you walk by. The crowd? The worst.

blue glass said...

it would help if our local city council member were responsive to the community.

Anonymous said...

Sweet lord, some of those comments...

"Outdoor dining is allowed, if someone doesn't like the traffic in Manhattan, they need to move to Brooklyn.
Maria [Name], Belgrade, MT"

SOMEONE FROM MONTANA IS TELLING US TO MOVE TO BROOKLYN. Mind. Blown.

Giovanni said...

You guys just don't understand. Poco NEEDS the sidewalk cafe so they can be closer to all their smoking and drinking customers who spill out into the parking spaces in the street. It can get very lonely out there.

Anonymous said...

Poco is just one of many who abuse the sidewalk cafe license. If I was a city inspector I would be handing out violations summons left and right as I walk up and down the avenues of the East Village. It seems that nobody actually adheres to their limitations. Most of them are way over their allotted space and the inspectors either do not care, do not know the regulations or are being paid to look the other way. Those are the only three possibilities. Places like Primi on the Bowery have umbrellas and plants that extend over the 8 foot boundary line; Cerveceria on Second Avenue has planters that are past their boundary line as well, extending into approved pedestrian space; Black Dahlia on Second Avenue and Phoebes on Bowery have large chalkboard signs outside the cafe boundary blocking pedestrians. The list goes on and on. Repeated complaints to 311 result in no action at all being taken year after year. It is disgusting. Want to talk litter? Check out The 13th Step the morning after....it is virtual garbage dump outside their restaurant....every morning. Seems like customers come outside to smoke and just dump their cigs and trash in the enclosed cafe area and outside as well. Disgusting. CB3 is worthless. They don't care. They don't listen. They don't look. Perhaps they also are seeing somebody paying special a$$ention to them? Who knows? It just seems ridiculous that residents have to put up with this type of uncaring attitude from the restaurants in the neighborhood and that we have a group of people in CB3 who just don't really seem to give a damn.

nygrump said...

Outdoor cafes are not allowed to serve from the sidewalk and they all do.

I think that the petition is on change.org tells me change.org has fucking jumped the shark.

JAZ said...

A cause Carrie Bradshaw could get behind

Anonymous said...

that place is absurd. they had so many chances to not be dicks too.

Michael Ivan said...

I like doing pub trivia across the street at Mama's on Tuesday nights. Poco saw they were drawing a friendly competitive trivia crowd on Tuesdays. Go and figure, they started offering trivia on Tuesday nights too. Taking from their neighbors, in the neighborhood they adamantly say they are a part of. Creeps.

IzF said...

Mama's is just as gross.

Anonymous said...

I feel bad for the neighbors of this place. I cross the street when I get near that place because I can't deal with the noise. It is insane.

Anonymous said...

Can't stand that place.

DN said...

All of you have nothing better to do than complain about a restaurant that has good drinks and food. Also is very accommodating for families with kids. Much better than other places in the neighborhood. Give them their license !

DN said...

God forbid that people have a beer,some food , and enjoy themselves at an outdoor table. The staff and owner are extremely pleasant and always accompanying when go there. Don't understand the uproar and maybe this area is not for you

Anonymous said...

@DN, you're a moron "maybe this area is not for you" - that statement alone is so disgustingly ignorant and clearly not from anyone that has any sort of roots in the neighborhood.

The place is obnoxious, caters only to loud, annoying people that don't give a shit, and despite hearing after hearing they never take care of the most simple and basic things they are asked to take care of.

Glad the owners sent you here to comment.