‘Very Sydney’ ban on standing while drinking outdoors is set to end

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‘Very Sydney’ ban on standing while drinking outdoors is set to end

By Michael Koziol

If you’ve ever been ordered to sit down while enjoying a drink or snack at one of the city’s al fresco dining areas, that’s likely to change.

The City of Sydney council is reviewing anachronistic rules that prevent patrons standing up at the outdoor drinking and dining spots that have popped up all over central Sydney.

People eating and drinking at Bar Totti’s on George Street. The ban on standing while drinking outdoors in the City of Sydney Council area is set to end.

People eating and drinking at Bar Totti’s on George Street. The ban on standing while drinking outdoors in the City of Sydney Council area is set to end. Credit:Louise Kennerley

The 28-page council document Outdoor Dining Guidelines July 2021 stipulates: “Outdoor seating areas can only be used by seated patrons consuming food or drink. Patrons are not permitted to eat or drink or whilst standing in the approved outdoor seating area.”

But there is now a push to get rid of those rules. Liberal councillor Lyndon Gannon – a former bar hand who has plans to open his own rooftop venues – is proposing to scrap the requirement, and Clover Moore’s bloc is supportive of the move.

“[The rule] is a legacy from prior to the lockout laws. It has been an issue for operators ever since I was working in hospitality,” Gannon said.

“[Once it changes] you’ll be able to stand outside a restaurant and have a glass of chablis while you wait for your table, or stand outside a pub like you can in Melbourne.”

If successful, central Sydney pubs may also start to look like those in London, where it’s customary for office workers to mingle outside – while standing – on a summer evening.

Elliot Solomon, whose Solotel group owns venues such as the Clock Hotel, Barangaroo House and Darlo Bar in the City of Sydney, said patrons generally weren’t aware of the rules when they were told to sit down by a security guard or manager.

“A lot of customers don’t realise it’s a government restriction; they think it’s us being difficult,” he said. “It’s a very Sydney thing to have.”

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Deputy Lord Mayor Jess Scully said the council and state government allowed vertical consumption in outdoor dining areas as a temporary COVID-19 measure in October, but only for operators who applied for a permit after that date.

She said the council was now reviewing the policy to make it a permanent and retrospective feature. “We’d love to see bars and restaurants introduce tall tables in outdoor areas to allow more space to eat and drink outside,” Scully said.

Government ministers Victor Dominello, Dominic Perrottet and Rob Stokes launch the al fresco dining pilot in October 2020.

Government ministers Victor Dominello, Dominic Perrottet and Rob Stokes launch the al fresco dining pilot in October 2020.Credit:Renee Nowytarger

But tweaking the rules isn’t as straightforward as it might seem. Scully said the proposed change would need to go on public exhibition first, “so we can hear what the community has to say”.

That is despite the council’s director of planning, Graham Jahn, telling Gannon last week that the guidelines “could easily be amended by removing one sentence” in the relevant section.

It has been a rough few years for punters who like to stand and drink; NSW Health was famously stringent about banning “vertical consumption” in bars and pubs as a COVID-19 measure.

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Scully said the City of Sydney recently approved more than 440 applications for al fresco dining across the CBD and high streets. It will also take a $2.5 million budget hit from waiving outdoor dining fees in 2022-23 as an ongoing relief measure for the beleaguered hospitality industry.

Solomon said the advent of outdoor dining spaces was “such a boon for the city” and a lifesaver for businesses recovering from COVID-19, and it would help even more to let customers stand, especially for smaller operators.

“The government and the councils have really started to appreciate the importance of the nighttime economy and see importance of activating the city and activating precincts – every little bit counts,” he said.

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