Targeting of outdoor seats by chengguan baffles owners

• Source: Global Times
• [08:44 July 28 2010]
• Comments

Customers sit outside a Starbucks in downtown Jing'an ditrict. Photo: Cai Xianmin

By Craig Curtis

Chengguan, or city management officers, have been randomly cracking down on downtown businesses with outdoor seating or displays, making some remove them, while leaving others free to do what they want with their outdoor spaces.

A Starbucks on Weihai Road in Jing'an district was forced to remove its outdoor tables and chairs on Monday morning after chengguan came by and told them to do so without offering a reason behind the direction, an employee who asked not to be identified told the Global Times Tuesday.

Another Starbucks on Shaanxi Road South in Luwan district was told by chengguan to relocate an outdoor blackboard listing prices inside. No reason was given for this either, and staff at the coffee shop said they were told the store would be fined if the sign was placed back outside.

Tracy Hu, manager of the Starbucks on Shaanxi Road South, said that she suspected the measure was implemented due to stricter rules during the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai.

Meanwhile, meters away on Xinle Road, which is perpendicular to Shaanxi Road South, a series of other establishments all displayed pricelists outside their storefronts Tuesday. Staff at the restaurants and coffee shops said they had not been told by chengguan to get rid of them.

Huang Yun, public relations officer for Starbucks Shanghai, said that the directions chengguan gave to two of their stores were puzzling, as both locations had been approved for outdoor seating within a two-meter zone, which was complied with at both locations.

However, she said that despite this case, the company has little choice in the matter but to abide.

"We must obey the laws in China, even if chengguan only instruct us about the rules verbally," she said.

Meanwhile, restaurants on the north side of Dagu Road, which have a deck patio area several meters away from the sidewalk, enjoy the privileges that come with being able to offer customers outdoor seating, while establishments on the south side of the street, where storefronts hug the sidewalk, do not.

According to employees at Pho Season on the south side of the road, chengguan check on them every day.

"They ride their bikes up and down the south side of the street all day long," one staff member told the Global Times Tuesday. "We don't dare even try to put our seats back out because we are afraid they will just order us to remove them again."

The Jing'an District City Management Division, which oversees the operations of chengguan in the district, refused to specify the laws regard-ing outdoor areas of businesses when reached by the Global Times Tuesday, nor was the department willing to comment on the situation.

However, a man surnamed Sun from the Luwan District City Management Division said that laws have nothing to do with the distance outside a shop. He said that, if the area in question is rented from city-owned property, the business can be fined by chengguan. Outside areas that belong to privately-owned establishments do not need to adhere to chengguan in the matter.

According to a source at Starbucks Shanghai, who preferred to remain anonymous, the locations visited by chengguan are privately owned, not under the jurisdiction of the chengguan.