What is Behind Istanbul’s Crackdown on Sidewalk Dining

The district of Beyoğlu in the city of Istanbul is a busy tourist and night-time area with bars and restaurants, most of which had, until recently, outdoor seating sections.

But after repeated complaints by residents that tables and chairs were blocking the streets, the city of Istanbul has mandated restaurants to remove their outdoor tables.

This is not going over well with restaurant owners who had to lay-off staff to pay their high rental fees.

Anchor Marco Werman talks to Constanze Letsch who lives in Beyoğlu and wrote about the issue in the British daily “The Guardian.”

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Marco Werman: I’m Marco Werman, this is The World.  Nothing says summer like a dinner al fresco, but this late summer, al fresco is not an option for restaurant patrons in Beyoglu.  That’s a district in Istanbul, Turkey.  Many popular establishments in the area had outdoor seating, but residents complained that tables and chairs were blocking the streets, so officials in Istanbul have ordered the restaurants to keep their business indoors. Constanze Letsch lives in Beyoglu and wrote about this in the British newspaper, The Guardian.  She says she’s heard that area residents may not have been the only ones complaining about blocked streets.

Constanze Letsch: Certain rumor are running around, of course.  Some people say it’s because Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was on his way in the area with a small truckade[? 0:43] got stuck between chairs and tables and couldn’t pass.  This is when he had ordered the tables and chairs off the street and returned. The municipality of Beyoglu, who officially ordered this to happen said they had over 1,000 complaints over the first seven months of this year from residents, or people who work here or walk through Beyoglu, that can’t pass, there are too many tables and chairs in the street.

Werman: All right, so practically speaking what are the restaurants being asked to do now?

Letsch: Well, at the moment no one is allowed, officially allowed, to put up any tables or chairs onto the streets.  So they are complaining saying well, we’re losing a lot of money, you have to lay people off.  There’s one solution being offered now by the municipality, which is a 70 cm. balcony that can be added…

Werman: Right, I’ve seen, I’ve seen pictures of that.  It looks kind of unsatisfactory I’d imagine if I were a restaurant owner.  It’s more like a Juliet balcony and really not much space for many tables.

Letsch: That’s one problem, it’s very narrow, so you can only fit one table for two people basically.  And it’s also very expensive to put this measure in place.

Werman: So, Constanze, how is this going to be resolved because the restaurant owners are losing money as you say, they’ve even laid off people, and the rents are very high in Beyoglu.  So how long can these restaurants stay alive?

Letsch: At the moment I don’t know.  There is no solution that’s right in front of people, like lots of bar and restaurant goers are unhappy because they can’t go there anymore and sit outside.  And residents or people who work in Beyoglu say well, this is actually good because now we can pass through the streets without being obstructed by chairs and tables like we used to be.

Werman: So what does it look like right now in Beyoglu with this ban on outdoor seating?  Is it completely quiet?

Letsch: No, well, Beyoglu is really always very busy, but the streets where there used to be tables and chairs outside are empty, and yet some of them, like the side streets are pretty bad.

Werman: Apparently there are some restaurant owners who are kind of taking things into their own hands.  We spoke with one who has actually hired a watch man to look out for police, is that true?

Letsch: Yeah, that’s true, I mean I won’t name any names, but it’s a small place and he does have one, sometimes two tables outside, which is not allowed at the moment.  He pays a guy a monthly fee to look out for the police so he can warn him when the police are near and he can take the tables inside.

Werman: It’s survival instinct.

Letsch: It is a little bit, yes.

Werman: Constanze Letsch with The Guardian newspaper in Istanbul, thanks very much for your time.

Letsch: Thank you.

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