Brickbat: The Twelve Chairs

Dejan Vekic / Dreamstime.com

The town of Bannockburn, New Zealand, has just one cafe, and the new owners say they may go out of business if the city council insists on enforcing a 12-chair limit on the establishment. The restaurant has been around for many years and has long seated well over 12 people. One of the previous owners says she was unaware of any limit. It only became an issue when the new owners applied to renew their alcohol license and a neighbor complained.

Comments

[DiegoF]

Maybe New Yorkers will begin moving to New Zealand. Because dictating how many chairs you are allowed to have on your property is going to seem downright unintrusive compared to the regulation New Yorkers have in store after the leftier-than-ever Democrats took huge margins in the State Senate. We will be lucky if we are still allowed to buy plastic forks two years from now.

Even my histrionics never once dreamed of such an enormous #BlueWave here.

[Inigo Montoya]

It can only get so bad before people vote with their feet and leave. Long before plastic forks are banned and all those who self-identify as male will be obliged to pre-register as sex offenders, I predict anyone with an IQ above room temperature will pack up and leave. The state will be largely a ghost town.

New York: America's Venezuela.

[PaulTheBeav]

I'd say move somewhere that the government is less oppressive but I live in Seattle so that would be hypocritical of me.

[Fist of Etiquette]

That neighbor must be very popular.

[Jerryskids]

Given that they never mention the neighbor and the nature of the complaint, my guess is the "complaint" came from a competing bar owner or a member of city government. More of a "nice business you got here, sure would be a shame if something was to happen to it" than anything.

[Robert]

They say it's the only cafe, but it's next to a place Google Maps labels "The Kitchen".

[Jerryskids]

However on October 21, council executive manager of planning and environment Louise van der Voort emailed the couple. She said the petition and "misinformation" about the consent and the position of the neighbours could "antagonise neighbours" and affect their new consent application.

"Stop resisting!"

[Kivlor]

"You better get the people in this town who like your business to shut up, or we'll really come down on you!"

[Longtobefree]

"More than 2000 people had signed a petition started by a patron in support of the cafe, he said."

Those people should spend one hour each evening standing quietly outside that "neighbor's" house. This should continue until the complaint is withdrawn.
They should also attend every council meeting, standing quietly, but having informed the press that they are going to monitor the council until the next election, when they will all vote.

Oh, yes; and don't ever vote labor again.

[Robert]

Make it up in wheelchair access?

[PaulTheBeav]

There are lots of things you could sit on that aren't technically chairs.

[Quo Usque Tandem]

"...and a neighbor complained."

Death would be far too good for him/her/whatever.

[Longtobefree]

Does NZ have chipper controls?

[OverWandersTelcon-tarian]

Sounds like it's time to break someone's good battle-axe.