Sunsets outdoor waiting area request on City Council agenda for May 2

Not to be outdone by both Gianni’s and the Muni making headlines in recent weeks, Sunsets has an agenda item on the docket for next Tuesday’s City Council meeting: “Sunset’s Outdoor Waiting Area Request”. City Planner Bryan Gadow will be presenting the information.

This image taken from Sunsets website shows people waiting outside for a table during summer.  Will Sunsets request and receive the ability to serve food and or alcohol in these areas?

An email requesting more information to the ownership group at Sunsets as to the nature and specifics of the request was not immediately returned.


Update at 1:41 pm.  Brian Prose, part of the ownership group at Sunsets had this to say about the request before the City Council:  “An outside waiting area has been something Sunsets has thought about for a few years. Often in the summer our guests ask if they can take their drink outside while waiting for a table. Of course our answer has always been no you cannot take a drink out side. In this competitive world we live in Sunsets is trying to figure out more ways to say yes.“

Prose continued, “I think it gives the city an ‘alive’ image that shows something is going on by being able to see people outside enjoying the downtown area.”

When asked whether or not this was reactionary, Mr. Prose denied that by indicating, “As for this being a reaction to Gianni’s or the Muni, the answer is no. We truly feel that a vibrant retail will only help all the downtown merchants.“

Politically, does the City Council have the ability to say no to restaurant requests regardless of size, shape, or scope given the new Muni was built with tax payer dollars?  Does the Council feel guilt or responsibility to allow others to compete with the new Muni in non-traditional ways such as the recent Gianni’s request?  Will other restaurants in town follow suit asking for more permits and permission to grow outside their physical buildings or compete in ways that traditionally would have been voted down?

Give us your take in the comment box, and as always, stay tuned to Wayzata.com, your Wayzata restaurant saga leader.