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August 13, 2008
Restaurant on garden floor
We currently own a 3 story /3 family brownstone on a residential block in Sunset Park. I'm renovating the garden floor for a residential rental, but would like to toy with the idea of opening a café (or restaurant) in the garden floor in the next few years. Does anyone have any experience or advice with this? I'm more concerned with the logistics of having a business in a residential building/block rather than the logistics of opening/running a café (although I'd take advice on that as well).
Just wanted to get an idea of how to start the process / research, etc. and hear about the experience of others who followed this path.
Thanks.
Comments
Is the block zoned residential? Then you can't. What does the CO say for the building now?
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at August 13, 2008 4:36 PM
I've opened a couple of restaurants. If there's not currently or has never been a restaurant in the space, it could be a costly undertaking. Everything from ventilation to fire suppression to handicapped access to food safety will have to meet current code. I would first make sure that current zoning even permits it.
Posted by: Steve at August 13, 2008 4:39 PM
Maybe try talking to the folks who own Palo Alto, on Union Street in Park Slope. They've presumably been through it. And yeah, like Steve said, check your zoning first. Good luck!
Posted by: hangonsloopy2 at August 13, 2008 5:02 PM
I'm pretty sure my block is in a R6 zone. So I guess that's the end to my research.
Thanks for the posts.
Posted by: sayantc at August 13, 2008 5:26 PM
Are you near an avenue? 100'from the corner? You may still have a commercial overlay.
Posted by: IMBY at August 14, 2008 7:59 AM
That's Palo Santo on Union Street. You should have seen the mess that place was before it was renovated. They did a absolutely stellar job. Tasty food too.
Posted by: SnarkSlope at August 14, 2008 3:46 PM
yikes why would you want to set up a situation where you'd be living directly ABOVE a noisy and smelly restaurant? i thought that's only what renters did and then only because the units are generally A LOT cheaper.
Posted by: bowl of dicks at August 14, 2008 3:49 PM
The owner of Palo Santo is a very old friend of mine, and he (as a proffesional and very experienced chef) spent about 2 years building that place, from a full gut to constructing the bar and tables himself (he hand-built almost everything - with help of course).
In the course of that build-out, despite having a pre-existing commercial space... he had to invest TONS of cash to properly outfit the restraunt to pass the dozens of inspections at various stages (imagine having to halt construction so the city inspectors can see the plumbing & electric before you cover it up?)... his roof now houses several HVAC units and fans, etc... Its no-joke.
However the space was grandfathered in as a commercial option... and more specificly HIS BUILDING was grandfathered in, most buildings on that block have lost any chance of having commercial spaces.
Union was once upon a time a major street which had shops and so forth. Your chances of getting a commercial right without an existing zoning or grandfathered clause is fairly remote.
sorry.
Posted by: lionballs at August 18, 2008 4:47 PM
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