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Committee approves seasonal street cafe for worker‑owned Hard Times Cafe after neighbors raise noise, parking concerns
Summary
The Business, Housing and Zoning Committee approved a seasonal street‑cafe license for Hard Times Cafe at 1821 Riverside Avenue, with members and the applicant noting hours, a 1993 conditional‑use permit and neighbor concerns about noise and lost parking.
The Business, Housing and Zoning Committee approved on June 24 a street‑cafe license allowing Hard Times Cafe to convert on‑street parking into outdoor seating at 1821 Riverside Avenue in Ward 6.
The license would allow the worker‑owned restaurant to place 24 seats in roughly 256 square feet between two parking spaces and operate the street cafe from 8 a.m. to midnight. Mohammad Osman, inspector with the Licenses and Consumer Services Division, told the committee the division recommends approval and noted that Hard Times has operated at the site for more than 33 years.
The cafe's representative, Josh Shuter, said the additional seating would help a long‑established business with thin margins and that outdoor seating drove higher customer spending during COVID. “We are a worker owned restaurant that has been operating on the West Bank for 33 years,” Shuter said. He said the patio “adds to safety on the West Bank with increased eyes on the street and foot traffic on Riverside Avenue.”
A nearby homeowner, TJ Akisanya, told the committee he supports the cafe but asked for “guardrails around how long the outdoor patio is open,” citing existing evening noise from nearby venues and concern that removing two curbside parking spaces will push overflow onto neighborhood streets. In response, Shuter said staff will “check on things frequently throughout the day, you know, during the day as well as late at night,” and that the cafe will not play loud music outdoors.
Council members emphasized the value of communication between the cafe and neighbors. Council Member Chris Cashman said the absence of alcohol service “helps a little bit with the late night rowdiness,” and Vice Chair Ellison encouraged the applicant to exchange contact information with neighbors.
Chair Jamal Osman moved approval and the committee adopted the license by voice vote.
The record shows Hard Times also has a conditional‑use permit from 1993 allowing 24‑hour operation at the site; the street‑cafe hours proposed are 8 a.m. to midnight. Committee members and the applicant said they expect to work with neighbors to address noise and parking impacts but did not place additional written conditions on the street‑cafe license during the meeting.
