Living Here

Noise complaint.
The moonlight movie last week at the Riviera beach was a hit. The movie was “Finding Nemo“. Following the movie, the hosts from Geneva Theatre and the Streets of Lake Geneva had a lot of fun interacting with the audience, making the event an impressive community affair. More than 150 people attended, and all looked to be having a good time. When a negative comment about the noise came to the GSR, it was surprising. “Way too loud, unnecessary for the majority of homeowners!! Went way past the noise ordinance time, 10 pm.”

The next “Movies on the Beach” will be on July 8th and August 11th. The July movie will be “Sandlot” and the August movie will be “Back to the Future“.  Hopefully, the neighbors will be more accommodating.

 

Are dogs allowed in outdoor dining areas?
Popeye’s Restaurant has a sign at the entrance to its outdoor dining area that reads: “We love Dog’s, but the Health Department does not allow them to dine with us.” Is this accurate? If you go to https://www.wirestaurant.org/info/alerts/140619_dogs.php you will find a more complete story about dogs in outdoor dining, but unless a Wisconsin restaurant has applied for and received an approved variance for dogs in the restaurant’s outdoor dining area, then dogs (except for service dogs) are prohibited from a restaurant’s food establishment premises.

The question that is uncertain is whether or not the roped off dining area on city sidewalks for serving food is for legal purposes considered part of the food establishment premises, and therefore, like with the serving of alcohol in those areas, it may require a special variance to permit dogs in that outdoor dining area. Even if permitted, with or without a variance, the Wisconsin Department of Health has set up the following guidelines excerpted from the aforementioned website.

 

  • Applies to dogs only.
  • Applies to the exterior areas of outdoor dining of a restaurant only. Dogs are not allowed in the interior portions of the restaurant.
  • A separate entrance is present where pets do not enter through the food establishment to reach the outdoor dining area.
  • No food preparation shall be allowed at the outdoor dining area, including the dispensing/mixing of drinks and ice.
  • Customer multi-use or reusable utensils such as plates, silverware, glasses, and bowls shall not be stored, displayed or pre-set at the outdoor dining area.
  • Food from the restaurant shall not be served to pets on the exterior portions of the outdoor dining areas of a restaurant. However, food provided by the dog owner for consumption by the dog on the premise of the restaurant shall be provided in single-use disposable containers and/or water provided by the restaurant shall be provided in single-use disposable containers.
  • Employees shall be prohibited from having direct contact with pets while on duty.
  • Pets shall not be allowed on chairs, seats, benches, and tables.
  • The exterior areas of outdoor dining areas of a restaurant shall be kept clean at all times.

In cases where excrement or other bodily fluids (urine, saliva, and vomit) are deposited, an employee shall immediately clean and sanitize the affected areas.

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