"Provence En Boite," the cute French bistro at 263 Smith Street, was doing a brisk business on Sunday. Nothing very unusual, except...
last week, the establishment was closed by the Department Of Consumer Affairs for "operating illegally." That seemed like an ominous infraction. However, it turns out that "Provence En Boite" had added two extra tables to its outdoor seating area, which violated its 'unenclosed sidewalk café license.' Outside seating is under the jurisdiction of Consumer Affairs. On their website, I found the following paragraph:
The new law also strengthens DCA's enforcement authority allowing the City, for the first time, to close restaurants that repeatedly break the unenclosed sidewalk café rules. Operators of unlicensed sidewalk cafes who violate the law two times may have their restaurants padlocked for up to thirty days after the second violation. Licensed operators who encroach illegally on the sidewalks may have their restaurants padlocked for up to thirty days after the third violation.
Hey, I am all for following rules and honestly, I am not crazy about the proliferation of tables and chairs hogging up the sidewalks on Smith, but closing the entire business because of two extra tables seems a bit extreme to me.
Provence En Boite was allowed to reopen over the week-end.
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