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Monrovia Brewery ‘Frustrated’ by County Restrictions
Business Oct 07, 2020
David Robkin is furious at the new county regulations put upon local breweries to reopen for outdoor seating. | Photo by Terry Miller / Beacon Media News
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County laysdown the law for brewery opening
By TerryMiller
After months of frustration for local breweries, Los Angeles County has finally listened to these businesses that have suffered great losses since the coronavirus hit our economy.
While notperfect, Los Angeles County has cleared the way for breweries and winerieswithout in-house kitchens to offer outdoor service provided they have apartnership with a third-party food provider.
Not everyoneis delighted with the new ordinance. In fact, Wingwalker Brewery’s David Robkinis “Furious, flabbergasted, frustrated, and fatigued” by the new regulations.
“The CountyHealth Department has laid additional regulations on breweries that require allin-person customers to make reservations 24 hours in advance for seating. Theyhave also required that we obtain a catering permit, which I see as a stalkinghorse for LACDPH to begin inspecting breweries and regulating them asrestaurants with associated requirements. The ABC requires a physically signedcontract with a food truck delivered in person. It took 15 minutes for them tofinally acknowledge that I could have multiple vendors and that the truck didnot have to be parked in my lot 24/7,” he wrote in an email.
“People arepretty dense when it comes to changing their behavior in this pandemic. I ambeginning to believe that 75% of the blame for the length this disaster hasgone on lies in the laps of incompetent government staff. There’s a sea chantyabout this,” Robkin quipped.
For the record, the county ordinance says, “Breweries and wineries that are not food facilities and possess the following state alcohol licenses, #20, #23, #40, #42, and #61, may conduct for outdoor dining operations under certain conditions.”
Furthermore,alcohol must be purchased in the same transaction as a bona fide meal atbreweries and wineries, and restrooms that were available to customers mustcontinue to remain available.
The countyadds a number of strict conditions that breweries must adhere to. Breweries andwineries with certain state alcohol license that do not have a moderate risk orhigh risk restaurant public health permit may offer food and drinks outdoors solong as they follow all the protocols for restaurants detailed in the ordinance,adhere to the additional requirements, and enter into one of the followingarrangements to offer meals with on-premises beverage sales:
“1) TheFacility may contract with a caterer or restaurant that has a valid Los AngelesCounty Health Permit to offer a bona fide meal with alcohol under the hostfacility requirements outlined in the California Retail Food Code, providedthat the Facility obtains a health permit from the Environmental HealthDivision at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health prior tooperating in such capacity. ALCOHOL MUST BE PURCHASED IN THE SAME TRANSACTIONAS A BONA FIDE MEAL. The catering operation must provide Standard OperatingProcedures to the Environmental Health Division at EHmail@ph.lacounty.gov priorto operating in such capacity; or
“2) TheFacility may work with a mobile food facility (i.e. food truck) permitted bythe Los Angeles Department of Public Health to provide bona fide meals. For allarrangements, ALCOHOL MUST BE PURCHASED IN THE SAME TRANSACTION AS A BONA FIDEMEAL. The Facility shall notify the Environmental Health Division atEHmail@ph.lacounty.gov prior to operating in such capacity.
“’Bona fidemeals’ are defined as a usual assortment of foods commonly ordered at varioushours of the day, that would be considered a legitimate meal; the service ofprepackaged food like sandwiches or salads, or simply heating frozen orprepared meals, and appetizers and snacks shall not be deemed complaint withthe bona fide meal requirement. The “Facility may only seat customers who havemade a prior reservation for a table at least one (1) day in advance foroutdoor dining operation in order to ensure there is no gathering andsufficient area for physical distancing of 6 feet or more.
“TheFacility may not serve any beverages or food to customers that are not seated,and customers are not allowed to consume food or beverages unless seated at atable. The Facility may not operate between the hours of 12:01 AM and 11:30 AM.”
This is adeveloping story. We will update with comments from other local brewers on howthe new ordinance will affect them.”
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