12-chair limit forced on cafe
A couple say they face going broke after the council told them to remove all but 12 chairs inside their cafe – or stop operating.
Jimmy Fairweather, 34, and Katie Funnell, 28, bought the Black Rabbit Kitchen & Bar in Bannockburn, on the outskirts of Cromwell in Central Otago, a year ago.
Fairweather said their dream had turned into a nightmare.
Three days before Labour Weekend, the Central Otago District Council emailed the couple, co-owner Matt Crimp, and their landlord, to say they were operating outside the bounds of their resource consent by having seating for more than
12 people inside, and more than
12 people outside.
Council staff arrived on Friday to check the chairs had been removed, and warned they would be monitored over the weekend.
‘‘It’s turned into a nightmare, and it’s a nightmare we can’t get out of because we are financially invested in it. If we have these restrictions put on us we will end up going broke and that will be the end of this,’’ Fairweather said.
When they bought the business, no-one disclosed there was a limit of 12 seats inside, he said. Had they known, they would not have gone through with the purchase.
Their lawyer and the previous cafe owner had not picked up the condition, which came to light after a neighbour opposed the couple’s application to renew their liquor licence, he said.
‘‘I said [to council], ‘you must have been in here over the years and realised there was more than 12 seats inside and 12 seats outside’. They said unless there is a complaint they don’t do anything.’’
The couple, who are 30 weeks pregnant with their first child, have turned hordes of customers away, and looked on with embarrassment as patrons stared at chair-less tables. Some customers left. Others chose to stand. Some sat on the ground.
‘‘I am wild about it. It’s ridiculous. All the tables that are here now were here before, and there was seating for about 40 inside and 40 outside when we bought the place.’’
Former owner Imelda DeFreese said she was the fourth owner of the business and was unaware of any 12-seat condition.
‘‘I don’t understand how it happened in the first place and why the original owners never brought it up. Bums on seats is how you make money in this industry and you can’t make it on 12.’’