Provence en Boite, the charming French Bistro at 263 Smith Street was closed by the Department Of Consumer Affairs, as indicated by two big stickers right in the front window. Judging by the agency which closed the restaurant, it is most probably because of unpaid fees for their sidewalk seating area, which is under the jurisdiction of the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs.
From the agency's web site:
"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."
I seem to remember that the restaurant went in front of CB6 just in the last three months to re-apply for their license. Maybe they never followed through to pay the fee for the new license. Just a thought.
Does anyone know more?
Thanks to reader Stephen for emailing me with the info.
Thanks to reader Stephen for emailing me with the info.
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7 comments:
I've only been there once since they left Bay Ridge. (I think that's the one.) Fantastic Food. Lovely atmosphere. Hope it gets settled soon.
I am not a fan of provence en boite but this is ridiculous. City should rather penalize restaurants dumping their stinky garbage on the sidewalk. beurk!
I heard they were moving into the old Patois space very soon.
Elizabeth
I find it infuriating that the city sees fit to penalize an establishment for operating a sidewalk café that bothers no one, and yet it allows a shabby wooden barrier with nails sticking out of it to block half the sidewalk year after year at the idle construction site down the block on Smith Street!
I'm not really a big fan of eating on the street (especially a Bus Route & popular Truck Route like Smith Street) but...
As long as the restaurant follows all the rules and pays all its fees, then there's no reason why they shouldn't have sidewalk-dining.
Again, while I wouldn't eat where dogs generally poop/pee on the buidings' corner (or some humans at 4 o'clock in the morning) I still can't see why the city would need to close the entire business and not JUST the outdoor dining area.
Unless of course they never applied for the right to begin with!
They don't exactly have a fantastic reputation for paying what they owe, so who knows why they were closed down.
I had a friend who worked there and through him have met others who also worked there and all of them quit due to terrible treatment from management and the owners. Not a good environment and the food is not good at all.
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