Tuesday, September 22, 2026, 11:30 a.m. (New York City time), Committee Room - City Hall
Committee: Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises
The Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises held a hybrid-format public hearing on a sidewalk cafe application (record L 141) filed by El Tejado En La Esquina Corp. in Council Member Thomas-Henry's district (Corona, Queens). The applicant seeks to place four tables with attached bench seating outside the front of a restaurant/sports bar. Council Member Thomas-Henry questioned the applicant about business entities, hours of operation, expected use of the outdoor space, neighbor outreach, and security. No other public testimony was offered, and the item was laid over by the subcommittee.
0:00 Over the hearing procedures.
0:00 The meeting is being held in
0:04 hybrid format. Members of the
0:05 public who wish to testify
0:07 might testify in person or via
0:08 zoom. Members of the public
0:11 wishing to testify remotely
0:12 register by visiting the New
0:13 York City Council website at
0:16 at w council that tha
0:17 tbackslash land use to sign up
0:21 or for those of you here in
0:22 person, please see one of the
0:23 sergeant at arms to prepare a
0:26 sub a to prepare and submit a
0:28 speaker card members of the
0:30 public also view a live
0:32 broadcast of this meeting at
0:35 the council website when you
0:36 are called to testify before
0:39 the subcommittee. If you are
0:40 joining us remotely, you will
0:41 remain muted until recognized
0:42 by myself to speak when you
0:45 will recognize your microphone
0:46 will be unlimited. We will
0:48 limit public testimony two
0:50 minutes per witness. If you
0:52 have additional testimony tha
0:53 tyou would like to submit to
0:57 the subcommittee you would
0:58 like to submit committee to
0:59 consider or if you have
1:01 written testimony that you
1:01 would like to submit instead
1:03 of appearing in person, please
1:04 email it to land your
1:06 testimony accountable that
1:07 that gov written testimony be
1:10 submitted up to three day
1:10 safter the hearing is closed
1:12 please, and the indicate that
1:15 l number and project name and
1:16 the subject line of your email
1:19 , we request that witnesses
1:20 joining us remotely remain in
1:21 the meeting until excused by
1:23 the chair as council members
1:24 have questions last plea for
1:26 everyone attending today's
1:29 meeting. This is the
1:29 government proceeding and
1:30 decorum must be observed at
1:32 all times members of the
1:33 public or acts not to speak
1:35 during the meeting unless you
1:36 are testifying, the witness
1:37 table is reserved for people
1:38 who are called to testify and
1:40 no video video recording of
1:42 photography is allowed from
1:43 the witness table further
1:46 members of the public not
1:47 present audio or video
1:49 recordings as testimony, but
1:51 submit transcripts of such
1:52 recordings to the sergeant at
1:53 arms for inclusion and the
1:55 hearing record, I
1:56 . Will now open the public
1:59 hearing on one relating to the
2:01 sidewalk cafe application
2:02 fired by title the screener
2:05 and corp and Council Member
2:05 Thomas henry's district
2:08 applicant is seeking to place
2:09 for tables with attached bench
2:12 seating outside the front of
2:13 its restaurant, which is
2:15 located in corona, queens, for
2:17 anyone wishing to testify
2:18 regarding this proposal
2:21 remotely if you have not
2:22 already done, so we must
2:22 register online by visiting
2:23 the council's website at
2:27 counseled that with us in
2:29 person, please see one of th
2:30 esergeant at arms to submit a
2:32 speaker card. If you would
2:33 prefer to submit written
2:34 testimony. You can always do
2:36 so by e mailing it to land use
2:39 testimony at council the
2:41 Council Member Thomas Henry
2:42 does not have remarks at this
2:45 time, I will now call the
2:46 applicant panel for this
2:47 proposal, which consists of
2:52 christiane wonga. Sorry if I
2:53 butchered your name counsel.
2:54 Could you please administer
3:06 the oath.
3:07 Hello? Can you hear me? Yes.
3:09 Good morning and hopefully
3:10 good morning. How are you?
3:11 Hopefully you're not currently
3:13 moving because I'm going t
3:14 oask you to raise your right
3:16 hand and state your name for
3:17 . The record.
3:19 Can you see your name for a
3:23 record
3:23 . Christians. Logan. Okay. Do
3:24 you swear to tell what you if
3:25 enough and love it tooth and
3:26 your testimony this morning
3:27 and in response to council
3:28 member of questions
3:31 . Yes, I come. Thank you. Um
3:34 you make in your statement
3:40 ?yes, I I gonna tell that's a
3:42 little bit true in the
3:44 statements being the absolute
3:47 truth. No. No, thank you. You
3:48 can, you can lower your hand
3:49 and you've done. You. You
3:52 already swine
3:53 . Do you have anything to
3:56 testimony that you like to
3:56 share with us today. Well, uh,
4:01 basically, um, yes. So we we
4:03 had us to me they application
4:07 to be able to accommodate son
4:10 sitting on earlier around that
4:13 word, um, location I with is a
4:19 a restaurant restaurant bar
4:21 concept. It's a family. Um,
4:25 join nable place where we and
4:28 sell to the foot beverage ah
4:33 on on.
4:33 Different type of products
4:36 within restaurant area, so the
4:39 consider of, um confit tables
4:43 outside icus stereo side of
4:45 the building will just a
4:48 comedy operation hours on.
4:51 Um, as I say that the s it,
5:00 thank you. I don't have any
5:00 questions for the applicant
5:02 will now recognize cop council
5:04 member Thomas Henry. Four
5:07 questions. Good afternoon.
5:08 Good morning. How are you
5:11 doing? My first question is in
5:12 regards to just getting
5:14 clarity on the entity that
5:17 will be managing, um this out
5:22 s.
5:22 Outside dining because there
5:23 is. I have to periodic esquina
5:27 and then callie callie eight.
5:29 Tejada's in the way that
5:30 business is set up, it appears
5:32 that there's almost like two
5:34 or three different entities or
5:38 like what part of the busines
5:39 s, do you control and operate
5:41 that will be managing the caf
5:47 e. What?
5:47 Ok, so basically I'll tell
5:48 you a little story about the
5:50 business. So we start the
5:53 corporation as collateral.
5:56 Harrah's to corp. The concept
5:58 of the cafe was a start
6:01 selling some bakery concerts
6:04 and on and
6:05 . Expand in the vacated side.
6:09 Unfortunately, the concept
6:10 didn't know what? Okay, so we
6:15 then switch the corporation
6:17 name to tear owed the skinner
6:21 corp us changing the concept
6:24 of the restaurant to promote
6:27 these paths workup probably
6:31 sports concept, so we began as
6:39 khalid jihadists. But then the
6:43 corporation names change it to
6:44 the road there. Skinner so
6:46 that's probably why the
6:49 confusion or the name is skin
6:50 mix up together. Okay. Thank
6:55 you. And what are the current
6:56 hours of operation covers our
7:02 operation. We are. We are open
7:05 front, 11 a. M 12 12 2 1
7:15 2midnight. We are closing on
7:22 mondays. Uh, every to Sunday.
7:26 We are open noon to midnight
7:32 pretty much. And is it safe t
7:33 oassume as a sports bar. Most
7:33 of the activity is indoors and
7:36 folks are inside watching
7:42 different sports
7:42 . That is correct. So we have
7:44 a screen like a full full of
7:50 screen to attract people
7:51 seeking to see any kind of a
7:54 sport as.
7:55 I say past workup, we would
7:58 it with good amount of a with
8:03 neighbors ansari and people
8:04 coming from different places
8:06 just to join and be able to
8:09 see sport, um, through the or
8:13 through the main comes, that
8:15 is just.
8:16 Watching the sport windows.
8:20 So I guess my question in
8:21 that regard is what do you
8:23 anticipate as the patrons who
8:25 would be using the outdoor
8:27 dining space like
8:29 traditionally some people
8:30 choose to eat outside. But
8:31 since you guys are mainly a
8:32 sports bar where people come
8:32 to watch the games. What do
8:37 you anticipate who will be who
8:39 will be outside, would it be?
8:43 So we have. We have some mom
8:46 and like a soccer kind of
8:50 bench stables outside would
8:52 kid's school and have the
8:54 opportunity to have a table it
8:57 with their parents, but at the
8:57 same time in the law and the
9:00 lower piece of the table.
9:01 There's like a like a soccer a
9:05 field.
9:06 Within the table itself
9:09 where they can play with a
9:14 soccer ball and buy the foods
9:16 on the table. They just did
9:19 and shared, um, food.
9:20 But he's just within the
9:22 table itself. It is no outside
9:25 of the table. Got it, and I
9:28 have seen the setup so that
9:29 would be the same setup. What
9:30 you have out there now with
9:32 the colorful benches and the
9:35 turf would be the same setup
9:39 . ? Or would this correct or
9:39 as the would you enclose it or
9:41 where to continue to be set up
9:42 the way it is.
9:45 It will continue to visit
9:46 out the way that it's
9:48 unfortunately, by when the
9:50 winter comes I we n,just going
9:51 to have to remove it because
9:53 it's fully exposed, we would
9:55 otherwise we're going to be
9:57 covered. Others always know or
10:00 their exterior.
10:00 Factors. Okay, so we have
10:02 received some. Well, we did
10:03 check with the local precinct
10:04 and there have been in that
10:06 there have been some noise
10:08 complaints. Have you guys made
10:10 any attempt to contact the
10:11 neighbors off of a hunt on the
10:13 avenue, not on a hundred
10:14 fourth street side with the
10:16 home homes on the avenue t
10:17 olet them know that you're
10:22 interested in making yes, and
10:25 we actually had they come
10:27 together with with the
10:29 neighbors and talked to then
10:31 around it and especially the
10:33 noise is lately complaints
10:34 they have happiness because in
10:37 the second floor in the second
10:39 floor, there's an event room
10:42 and they there's some occasion
10:43 where there's a samba class or
10:48 dancing a, but it doesn't
10:50 interference within
10:51 operational hours. We have to
10:55 provided with with options to
10:57 fully enclosed the windows,
10:59 but it no happiness aside
11:02 every day routine is just a
11:07 time to time that our taking
11:08 place on the second level. Do
11:12 you have security while you're
11:17 open a. We don't have to run
11:19 security man in in I'll beat
11:22 by our operation hours, but
11:26 this this actually. So there's
11:29 actually like the building
11:31 itself on and showed you had
11:32 seen it. There's actually a
11:34 real side of the building, the
11:36 operators are full bar,
11:40 sofia's bark that has modeling
11:42 to do with us have said they
11:45 do offer? Um, this is
11:47 something that is highly
11:50 affect our business since they
11:52 Won because they do a
11:55 different type of operation
11:57 that I I don't have to tell
12:01 the story or anything but
12:04 business alone hard. Ah, being
12:08 from faced by our neighbors
12:10 and most neighbors in our area
12:13 just confused of which
12:14 business out of the way in
12:17 that being being that said
12:19 that our business is on the
12:21 others. The business main door
12:23 is on the other side of the
12:28 building, but we has been as a
12:32 restaurant concept family,
12:36 open kids friendliest and not
12:38 we are having they need a
12:42 security guard in front of the
12:45 .
12:45 Door, okay? And the sofia's
12:46 bar. Use your tables at all
12:49 ever outdoor seating? Nothing.
12:51 None
12:52 . None of our table. They have
12:54 a separate entrance in inside
12:57 the business. They totally
12:59 separate from our business. Ok
13:03 , thank you. Thank you. Chair.
13:06 Thank you, councilmember. All
13:09 right, this panel is excuse.
13:10 Thank you so much for making
13:12 time to testify today. We
13:18 appreciate it. Thank you.
13:19 You're welcome. This is the
13:20 last call if there are any
13:21 members of the public who wish
13:24 to testify regarding this
13:26 proposal remotely, please
13:27 press the raise hand button
13:28 now or if you are in person,
13:30 please identify yourself to
13:32 one of the sergeant at arms.
13:32 Who wish to testify regarding
13:39 l 141 relating to the side of
13:42 application by taro De
13:45 screener public hearing is now
13:47 close this item is laid over.
13:51 That concludes today's
13:52 business. I would like to
13:53 thank the members of the
13:53 public, my colleagues
13:55 subcommittee council land use
13:56 and council staff and the
13:58 sergeant at arms for
13:59 participating in today's
14:00 meeting this meeting is