Doggie Diner Bill on Today’s Board of Aldermen Calendar (Updated)

Soon, restaurant owners in 3/4th of the city may opt to allow patrons to bring their dogs onto restaurant patios, provided certain criteria are met. Here is the full language of the bill:

Board Bill No. 67 FS Introduced by: Alderwoman Krewson, Alderman/Alderwoman Wessels, Gregali, Young Ortmann, Hanrahan, Waterhouse, Baringer
An ordinance pertaining to food service establishments; permitting a food service establishment to allow a customer to be accompanied by a dog in the permitted outdoor dining area of such food service establishment located within the City of St Louis, except the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 12th, 18, 27th and the 21st wards, under certain conditions. BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY OF ST. LOUIS AS FOLLOWS:

SECTION ONE: A food service establishment may permit a customer to be accompanied by a dog in an outdoor dining area if:
1. The food service establishment posts a sign in a conspicuous location stating that dogs are allowed in the outdoor dining area; and
2. the food service establishment provides waterless hand sanitizer in a convenient location for customers and employees, or upon request; and
3. the food service establishment immediately cleans up any unsanitary condition resulting from a dog; and
4. the customer and the dog access the outdoor dining area directly from the exterior of the food service establishment; and
5. the dog does not enter the interior of the food service establishment; and
6. the customer keeps the dog on a leash which keep the dog close to the customer; and
7. the customer controls the dog; and
8. the operator of the food service establishment may ask the customer to remove any dog whose activities or behavior are deemed undesirable or disruptive at the sole discretion of the operator; and
9. the customer does not allow the dog on a seat, table, countertop, or similar surface;and
10. the customer does not allow the dog to come in contact with plates or utensils; and
11. in the outdoor dining area, the food service establishment does not:
a. prepare food; or
b. permit open food, except for food that is being served to a customer.

Yes seven out of 28 wards will be exempt from the new rules. Those seven are the wards of Troupe (1st), Flowers (2nd), Bosley Sr (3rd), Heitert (12th), Kennedy (18th), Jones-King (21st), and Carter (27th). Six of the seven are northside wards with Heitert’s far south Republican ward the seventh.

The rebirth of the commercial district along Olive between Taylor & Walton will be an interesting test of this. The south side of the commercial cooridor is in the 28th Ward (the bill is sponsored by 28th Ald Krewson) while the north side of the street is in the except 18th ward. A small dog park is located on the street in the 28th ward but don’t look for any patios across the street allowing dogs — such as at Bowood Farms when their cafe opens.

But the real test of this ordinance will be in about four years when redistricting is being debated. Will we have a restaurant with a patio that allows dog owners, say near the dog park on Olive in the 28th ward, only to have that property end up in the 18th ward and suddenly the restaurant owner is told he/she must now forbid dogs on the patio? Or does this practice become grandfathered in? Given that our ward boundaries change every 10 years after each major census I don’t see how we can simply exempt wards without some clarification about exact boundaries for doggie diners.

UPDATE 7/13/2007:

The bill passed its final hurdle and will become law in 10 days.  Remember, this does not grant you the right to your dog into restaurants.  This permits a restaurant owner to allow dogs on their outdoor dining spaces in 21 out of 28 wards.