Chair Menin Questions DOT on Low Approval Rates and Application Backlogs

Because the goal of the hearing is obviously to try to fix this backlog and figure out what we can do to improve this.

Why is it that only 67 businesses have received this full approval?

Okay, I'll start out by going through some of the numbers and then Michelle will add if I've I've missed anything.

First and foremost, we want to emphasize that 80% of the program's applicants are now able to be up and running as of April 1st.

So the bottom line is that 80% of restaurants can operate as we speak.

So that for us is the most key factor here.

We want to get every restaurant operational as soon as possible.

So does that give restaurants a certainty that they need?

They're outlaying a lot of expenses on this.

Good.

So let me explain that a little bit.

And maybe I'll run through some of the numbers, Chair, if that's good, and then I'll get your question.

So we've had 3,922 total applications, and that is from about 3,200 different food service establishments.

Of those applications, 774 are roadway, 1754 are sidewalk, and 697 are both.

Of that group of applications, we have 511 that were either withdrawn by the applicant or were denied because they were in a bus stop or they were at a hydrant or something of that nature.

So that leaves us with about 3,411.

Of that 3,411, 2,603 are able to operate either because they have gone through the process, or if their sidewalk they applied between before August 3rd, or if their roadway, they've gone through so much of the process that we know their application is correct and they've already had a public hearing.

So to answer your question, the people that have been able to set up now, roadway in particular, we have completely reviewed every aspect of their application and they're all correct.

So they won't be in the situation where they've set something up, and then upon the final license, we're gonna say, Oh, what you put out there is incorrect.

That that will not happen.

They know exactly what they need to put out.

In the meantime, we have the 1800 sidewalk setups also operating, and we've been very clear with all of them that they should do so, and that we'll keep working through the process in the meantime.

What happens to the 20%?

So the 20%, let me tell you about that exactly.