The new rules will set the conditions under which it is possible to operate a restaurant garden

Prague councilors have approved new rules that will make the decision-making about which establishments can get a contract to lease public space in the capital more transparent for the purpose of operating a restaurant garden.

The rules contain several basic principles. The capacity of the restaurant garden, for example, will not be able to have a higher capacity than the approved internal capacity of the establishment. If the establishment does not have hygienic facilities, it will not be able to have a restaurant garden, with the exception of the so-called day garden, which is two tables, each with two chairs. These principles reflect the effort to ensure that restaurant gardens complement indoor establishments, and not replace them. It will also be possible to place restaurant gardens within a maximum distance of 50 meters from the entrance to the establishment.

“The restaurant garden should ideally be right in front of the facade of the building in which the establishment is located. However, there are situations when this is not the case, or when there are several establishments that could apply for the lease of the public space. Until now, it was not clear how the city decides to whom the area in the middle of the square, for example, will be leased for the purpose of operating a restaurant garden, which could raise some doubts about preferential access to some operators. I believe that hospitality entrepreneurs will welcome that the city’s decision-making in this matter will now be more transparent and predictable,” summarizes councilors for property, transparency and legislation Adam Zábransky.

In the event that several operators have the priority right to place a garden on one area, the area will be leased to them according to their mutual agreement, possibly divided equally or leased according to the result of the tendering process to the highest price for a period of three years.

In addition to the previously approved Manual for cultured Praguewhich deals with the form of gardens, and The concept of placing restaurant gardens on Královská cesta, Hradební korz and Wenceslas Squarewhich defines the places where the gardens can be, so now there is also a document that gives the procedure for deciding on requests from specific businesses for the location of a restaurant garden.