On Feb. 2, the Beverly Hills City Council held a regular Study Session during which a proposal detailing plans for two temporary outdoor dining tents and subsequent street closures in front of Spago and Nusr-Et restaurants was discussed. Nusr-Et is a new steakhouse helmed by Turkish chef Nusret Gökçe, known globally as the “Salt Bae.” At issue is the city’s current OpenBH program, which allows businesses to temporarily extend their services to adjacent areas such as parking lots and the public right of way by acquiring a Special Event Permit to include street closures and tent structures. Currently, there are 104 businesses in the city participating in the program. The proposed temporary outdoor dining tents and street closures in front of Spago and Nusr-Et, respectively, would include restricted public access to the sidewalks, to Wilshire Boulevard and the Canon mural wall.
“This is a perfect example of our community working together,” said Councilmember Lili Bosse, a liaison for the Rodeo Drive, Special Events and Holiday Program Committee. “It really is something that we should all be very proud of. When we had our liaison meeting, there were a few loose ends that needed to be tied, and the direction that we had given was to reach out to neighboring businesses, to work with MTA, to make sure that the traffic control plan had no significant impacts, and to maintain the U-turn and the valet. With all of that being said, they accomplished all that and more. So, we as the liaison wholeheartedly supported this and feel very excited about having this in our city. We feel very strongly that we need to continue to partner with our restaurants and help them.”
