North End restaurant owners who filed a lawsuit claiming the city has been unfriendly to them by imposing outdoor dining restrictions will have to wait longer to talk with the mayor about finding a compromise.
Many community members, including restaurant owners, employees, and residents, gathered at Saint Joseph’s Hall in the hope of meeting with Mayor Michelle Wu and other officials, but they did not show up.
Carla Gomez, the owner of Terramia and Antico Forno, said they have not received any communication from the city and just want a chance to talk about the issues.
The owners of 21 neighborhood restaurants, who filed a complaint in federal court against the city, closed their businesses for two hours on Thursday to protest the restrictions.
The authorities are prohibiting on-street dining for the second year in a row, limiting outdoor dining to “compliant sidewalk patios.” The North End is the only neighborhood in Boston facing these unwanted restrictions.
A spokesperson for the mayor did not respond immediately to a Herald request for comment on Thursday, and City Councilor Gabriela Coletta, who represents the North End, declined to comment.
Resident Ann Bushnell expressed support for the restaurant owners, emphasizing their importance as community pillars that contribute to the neighborhood's library and schools. She believes there should be a meeting between the mayor or city officials and the restaurant owners involved in the lawsuit.
Bushnell told the Herald that she doesn't think the mayor likes confrontation and is uncomfortable with it, but this is part of life and politics. She thinks people with different opinions should learn to adapt and cooperate in the end.
In 2022, officials required restaurant owners to pay a $7,500 fee for outdoor dining operations, which the owners claim the city used to buy an electric street sweeper for other neighborhoods.
Wu and other officials have stated that the restrictions were intended to alleviate quality of life issues for residents, such as noise, trash, traffic, and parking problems caused by outdoor dining.
However, restaurant owners have challenged these claims, presenting data obtained through Freedom of Information requests showing that other neighborhoods are more congested and have received more 311 complaints about cleanliness.
Tresca co-owner Bill Galatis expressed confusion about the sudden ban on on-street dining in 2023 and 2024, given that they successfully operated in 2021 and 2022 with no major issues, as reported.
A task force including officials, North End restaurant owners, and residents explored ways to allow on-street dining in the future, but concerns raised in the past contributed to this year's ban.
Options may include only allowing outdoor dining on weekends, but this would mean a shorter season with limited hours. Another possibility is to have an annual lottery system for limited participation, or a program allowing smaller patios.
Some people in the community are questioning why Jorge Mendoza-Iturralde, who is a co-owner of Vinoteca di Monica and a lead plaintiff, is accusing Wu of treating Italians unfairly, given that he immigrated with his family from Argentina in 1984.
Mendoza-Iturralde said to the Herald on Thursday that his grandmother on his mother’s side is from Italy, and that he and his family immediately loved the neighborhood.
"I am fighting for the people in the North End because of the support I received from others," he said. "We were embraced by the community, and I am very grateful. I will continue to fight for what is best for the North End."