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Entertainment commission allows Al's Place later outdoor music on case-by-case recondition
Summary
The San Francisco Entertainment Commission approved a temporary reconditioning allowing Al's Place (1499 Valencia St.) to play outdoor amplified music later on Wednesdays–Sundays through the JAM program, with strict volume limits (ambient at 50 feet before 10 p.m., 25 feet after 10 p.m.) and monitoring; staff said complaints have been limited and largely from upstairs landlords.
The San Francisco Entertainment Commission voted to recondition the JAM permit for Al's Place, allowing outdoor amplified prerecorded music Wednesdays through Sundays from 5:30 p.m. to midnight on a temporary basis, subject to staff conditions and close monitoring.
The owner and chef, Aaron London, told commissioners he and his staff have strict procedures to control sound, including labeled volume dials, alarms for change times and the practice of cutting speakers in sections as diners leave. He said the restaurant has been “$743,000 in debt, including a large EIDL loan,” and that later ambient music supports outdoor dining and recovery. London also told the commission that the bulk of complaints have come from the building’s landlords who live above the restaurant, not from a wide range of neighbors.
Staff described the enforcement history: Al's Place has appeared on enforcement reports with a handful of complaints. Inspector Savino said earlier complaints dated to Nov. 2020 and May 2021 were resolved quickly; more recent complaints led staff to bring the reconditioning request to the commission. The commission heard that the venue uses multiple outdoor speakers to keep volume localized and that management turns off speakers in areas without diners.
Commissioners weighed a case-by-case approach rather than a broad policy change for all JAM permits. The motion adopted by the commission (moved and seconded on the record) approved the requested hours but imposed explicit volume controls: outdoor amplified sound must not exceed ambient levels measured at 50 feet until 10 p.m., and after 10 p.m. must not exceed ambient levels at 25 feet measured from the property plane. The reconditioning is temporary and staff said the JAM program would be phased out when the emergency ends and permanent shared-spaces permitting is implemented; permittees seeking long-term operations will need to apply for brick-and-mortar permits and additional public outreach.
The commission also reserved the right to ask staff to return a permit to hearing if problems persist. Commissioners urged the permittee to continue outreach with the complainants and to pursue technical fixes such as speaker placement or interior acoustic changes where feasible. The commission voted by roll call to approve the reconditioning.
