Restaurant owners voiced concerns that if the quota were relaxed, other restaurants would enter an already competitive environment, which would hurt their businesses. Multiple restaurant owners, including those of Gypsy’s Trattoria Italiana and Pappy’s Grill and Sports Bar, spoke at the meeting in opposition to removing the system.

“I strongly disagree with the proposal,” said Jahanshah Jowharchi, owner of Gypsy’s. “Our restaurant has suffered tremendously in the last two years … Many of us are going out of business due to overpopulation of restaurants.”

Currently, the city has quotas limiting the number of businesses, such as restaurants, barber shops and gift shops, that operate in the Telegraph commercial area. The proposal, if approved, would relax the restaurant quota system for the next three years.

Alex Popov, manager of Pappy’s, initiated a petition against removing the quota system. He also created the Telegraph Restaurant Association last week to voice the sentiments of local restaurant owners.

Thai Basil, CREAM and La Burrita are among 34 local restaurants that have signed the petition in favor of keeping the quotas.

“When I explained to (business owners) the issue, especially to those who are mom and pops, they said, ‘How are we going to survive if this passes?’” Popov said. “(Even) talking to nonfood businesses — they are concerned.”

Yet other business owners, such as Craig Becker of Caffe Mediterraneum — who is also president of the Telegraph Business Improvement District — think the quotas have done more harm than good.

“I think the government has a big role in making any commercial district successful, but I just don’t think that the quotas are the right way to go about it,” Becker said.

Due to time constraints, the council did not debate the restaurant quota matter and decided not to approve it at this time.

“If they would have taken a vote last night, we would have prevailed,” Popov said. “The fact that we didn’t get everything done in one meeting is not that big of a deal, but as long as we’re continuing to have Telegraph in the spotlight … It might take a long time, but as long as we’re looking at ways to improve the business district.”

The City Council voted, in one motion, to adopt of a number of the other items pertaining to Telegraph, such as looking into the financial impact of converting Bancroft Way and Durant Avenue into two-way streets and of creating parklets.

Gladys Rosario covers academics and administration. Contact her at grosario@dailycal.org and follow her on Twitter @gladysrosario93.

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Go home:

The pros: At Berkeley, we’re lucky to both be on the semester system and have a dead week. Only our Cal friends are free this week, meaning that if we go home we should be totally distraction free. Siblings are still in school, parents have work, best friends are anywhere from Berlin to Boise and we don’t even know where our high school hookup lives anymore. Think about it: You’re studying, and the midnight munchies are beginning to distract you. Instead of sprinting down to Asian Ghetto before everything closes, we can run downstairs to Mom’s leftovers. The little time we’ll have to sleep between paper-writing and math-cramming, we can spend in our queen-sized, well-kept home beds rather than our squeaky dorm twins. Our parents and younger siblings are less likely to tempt us with word of a house party than our roommates are. Let’s face it, during dead week they can’t be trusted. So get away and get some work done in the comfort of your own, well your parents’, home.

The cons: Usually, when we go home to “get work done,” it doesn’t get done. Yes, we have very good intentions, but we forgot about that big screen TV and Mom wants us to help with dinner. Afterwards we’ll slip into the most glorious food coma we’ve ever experienced, dreaming of summer vacation. Before we know it, we’re awake again and on a plane back to Berkeley with a final looming in the not-so-far-off future. Yay, all-nighters!

Stay here:

The pros: Libraries, greasy food and all of our study buddies are going to be here. The tone of Berkeley will have changed and by Wednesday at the latest, we’ve all felt it. Dead week takes over, and stuff gets real. The pressure’s on, and it’s a good thing. The libraries are filled with the familiar faces of classmates and drinking buddies alike, a support system comprised of every student on campus. We’re suddenly all in the same boat. Who knows, in a moment of solidarity maybe the Moffit narks will let you sneak a bag of chips under your sweatshirt. Eh, probably not. For those lonely late nights cooped up in the apartment, your study staples are right around the corner. La Burrita, here we come.

The cons: Libraries, greasy food and all of our study buddies. Every on-campus nook and cranny from Main Stacks to classrooms in that building that we’ve never been into before is going to be packed. Unless you’re capable of waking up at 6 a.m., grabbing all the food you made the night before and literally sprinting over to Doe, chances are you’ll be stuck at home for the day with your TV haunting you from the living room. If you do need to get out to eat or caffeinate, you’ll probably end up getting take out rather than dining in. We all know what that means — chow mein in bed watching reruns of Saturday Night Live. Lastly, our study buddies will be great for the first day or so, but then they’ll either begin to distract us or stress us out. However they’re feeling about finals, whether apathetic or desperately afraid, it’ll rub off on us and deeply annoy us.

So what are you planning on doing this dead week? Let us know in the comments below!

Image source: English106 under Creative Commons

Contact Jordan Henigman at jhenigman@dailycal.org.

The post Dead week: to leave or not to leave? appeared first on The Daily Californian.

When the check came Thom handed me a handwritten list. “This is everywhere you need to eat,” he said. “There are a lot of choices out there, but these are the ones that I remember after 30 years.”

The next day, my parents and I flew up from Southern California with the list in my pocket. My tour was like any other I had seen — an overly enthusiastic tour guide showed me all the buildings on campus and imparted a bit of lore on our group. I was underwhelmed. It looked like any other campus I had seen in the movies. I was convinced that I had made the wrong choice, that I didn’t belong and that it wasn’t my campus.

The tour was over, and we were starving. We hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast back home. We decided to consult the list and picked the first entry — La Val’s Pizza. We walked in through the courtyard shared with La Burrita, ordered and sat down. With the smell of pepperoni and a hint of parmesan on the air, my mother and I played pool as we waited for our pizza. We began to talk, and I shared my anxiety about starting at Berkeley with her.

“I guess I would feel this way regardless of where we were,” I said. She nodded, sunk the eight-ball and then it was time for pizza.

As I bit into the slice of pepperoni pizza, I felt all the fear and anxiety wash away. We ate in silence, which is a rarity for my family, bussed our table and played a final round of pool.

Flash-forward a year, same spot. My freshman roommates and I are playing a doubles game of pool and taking turns attacking the four mini pizzas that we have ordered. Once again, I’m anxious, this time for a different reason: Finals were coming. We talk about finishing off the semester and where we’ll be living next year and what classes we’re on the wait list for. After the round of pool finishes, we get refills on our sodas and walk back to Bowles Hall, refreshed and ready to get back to procrastinating.

It’s summer time, and I’m sitting in a booth attempting to finish my problem set. Sophomore year has come and gone, and I am living in the co-ops now, but my house doesn’t offer food in the summer, so I have taken to eating out for most of my meals. I sit, staring at the restaurant’s LED display, waiting for my number to pop up on the screen. 149. A few moments later, I finish my problem set and with it the remains of my pizza.

Now, once again, I find myself at La Val’s a little anxious as I finish editing my first post for Eating Berkeley. I have eaten two slices of pizza, and it’s coming up on closing time. I think back to that list I was handed so many nights ago, and I know this will be one of the places I tell people about 30 years from now.

Contact Andrew Steinsapir at asteinsapir@dailycal.org.

The post Finding my place in Berkeley appeared first on The Daily Californian.

Since the opening of the newly renovated Memorial Stadium earlier this fall, the masses of fans occupying the stands during the game and subsequently flooding the surrounding streets have been a boon to local eateries and shops.

Several businesses around the city have benefited from the influx of people, said Dave Fogarty, the city’s economic development project coordinator.

Executive Director of the Telegraph Business Improvement District Roland Peterson said Southside’s Hotel Durant is completely booked on gamedays, and surrounding hotels have had to make adjustments to accommodate all the people that come in.

Berkeley restaurants have also been positively affected by the increased number of people who come into the city on gamedays, especially compared to last year, when many establishments lost the fan base due to the move of home games to AT&T Park in San Francisco.

“Every year, we have followers who come here to watch the games, and they come from all over the country,” said Izat Eliyan, the manager of La Val’s Pizza and La Burrita, both located on Hearst and Euclid avenues. “We know them by face, and they are always very excited to come back. Last year, we missed them, so seeing them again this year, we did see a rise in sales.”
Alex Popov, the owner of Pappy’s Grill & Sports Bar, located on Telegraph Avenue, said the new restaurant has always attracted a lot of people but is busiest on gamedays.

“We’re busy all throughout the day, because even though the games don’t start until the afternoon, we have people coming in the morning to watch games that are happening on the East Coast, and we also have people staying in the evening after the games finish,” said Popov.

While many businesses are thriving due to the increased foot traffic in Berkeley on gamedays, some businesses have not seen much of an improvement, and others have even been negatively impacted due to parking congestion in the city.

Eliyan said that though La Val’s Pizza and La Burrita are both very busy on gamedays, business has not improved as much as was expected.

“We thought that with the new stadium, business would be better,” Eliyan said. “But it’s just like any normal gameday before the stadium was built.”

Wilson Wong, manager of Kip’s Bar on Durant Avenue, agreed with Eliyan’s sentiments.

“(The fans) aren’t coming out as much as they used to, compared to old gamedays,” Wong said. “I’m not sure — maybe football culture is not as big, or maybe not as many people are into football anymore.”

Moreover, some establishments have suffered as a result of the influx of people. Parking in the area becomes congested as a consequence, which forces event-goers to drive all over the city to find parking.

“Parking fines go up in the area on gamedays, and we aggressively enforce parking laws,” said city spokesperson Mary Kay Clunies-Ross. “It’s critically important that we keep the streets open for residents and for emergency access during and after games.”

Eliyan said that the traffic problems affect the delivery business of La Val’s, and they have to tell customers to wait at least an hour to get their orders.

Doris Moskowitz, manager of Moe’s Books on Telegraph Avenue, also said traffic problems negatively impact the store on gamedays.

“It’s like ‘Catch-22,’” Moskowitz said. “It’s really sad that the football players weren’t here last year, and we are so glad to have them back and to see so many people come to Berkeley to watch the games. But because of parking issues, it’s harder for our customers to get here, and no one is going to carry books through campus. So our business suffers.”

Contact Pooja Mahtre at pmahtre@dailycal.org.

The post Memorial Stadium reopening benefits Berkeley businesses appeared first on The Daily Californian.

Sandwiches

Bronze Medal: Subway, 2618 Telegraph Ave.
Silver Medal: Foley’s Deli, in Sam’s Market, 2312 Telegraph Ave.
Gold Medal: Cheese ’n’ Stuff, 2442 Durant Ave.

Hungry students rushing to class from Southside will no doubt be tempted to pick up a sandwich from Subway — it’s an undeniably quick and easy option. What more could you want? Well, for starters, freshly baked bread, quality cold cuts and fresh veggies. Foley’s Deli has tasty and affordable sandwiches, but for the pinnacle of deli delights, look no further than Sather Gate near Unit 3, where Cheese ‘n’ Stuff has been serving students since 1986. A fully-loaded sandwich piled high with high quality meats and cheeses and crisp veggies including sprouts will cost less than that $5 Subway footlong.

Burritos:

Bronze Medal: Chipotle, 2311 Telegraph Ave.
Silver Medal: La Burrita, 2530 Durant Ave., 1832 Euclid Ave
Gold Medal: Gordo Tacqueria, 2404 Telegraph Ave.

Chipotle is the Subway of burritos, hence the long line every day at lunch time. Granted the quality of the food is a touch higher, but so are the prices. Instead, head a little farther away from campus to La Burrita, with locations on both Northside and Southside, for a burrito with a little more character. But freshmen seeking the best should head down to Gordo Tacqueria on Telegraph and Channing Way. A super burrito — which is, indeed, super — runs about $5 and is jam-packed full of flavorful grilled meats or veggies, rice, beans and salsa. You may think a burrito is a burrito, but not all burritos are created equal. At Gordo, the burritos are a purist’s dream, though sour cream and guacamole can be added for an extra kick.

Chinese Food:

Bronze Medal: Chinese Express, 2488 Channing Way
Silver Medal: Lotus House, 2517A Durant Ave.
Gold Medal: King Dong, 2429 Shattuck Ave.

Southside is rife with Chinese restaurants, most of which are cheap, quick and subpar in quality. Lotus House on Durant is satisfying, but if hungry freshmen care to travel just a bit farther to Shattuck Avenue, they’ll find the best of both worlds — well-made, reasonably priced, generously portioned meals at King Dong. Yes, that’s its real name. Yes, it’s next door to massage parlor facing allegations of prostitution. But good food is good food. The No. 1 single dinner plate (again, real name) is a feast, offering any entree on the menu plus rice, soup, an egg roll, a fried shrimp and a fried wonton skin for $8.

The post Eating Outside the Box appeared first on The Daily Californian.

It’s a Saturday afternoon. You’re hungry. You have little to no cash and you love cheese. Where do you go? You know the answer. It’s known by two glorious syllables: Cheese Board (formally, The Cheese Board Collective). Every weekend, I pass the vibrant scene at this gem of a restaurant on Berkeley’s Northside. Every weekend, after I purchase my boring groceries, I look over at the many youths sitting on the grass in front of Cheese Board — laughing, joking, listening to the wonderful live bands and eating finely-crafted pizza. I couldn’t be more jealous.

By any standard, Cheese Board should be a luxury. Just like their restaurant neighbor across the street, Chez Panisse, Cheese Board offers freshly-made food that varies from day to day. But despite their proximity, there couldn’t be a bigger difference between the $2.50-a-slice pricings at the cooperatively-owned pizza eatery and the high-priced dining of Chez Panisse. With a diverse selection of pizzas (with cheese and baked goods right next door), a carefree attitude and a democratic spirit, the Cheese Board Collective is the ethos of Berkeley — pizzafied.

— Jessica Pena

Best Late Night Food: La Burrita

Love it:

La Burrita is my favorite late-night snack. With its fair prices, coupled with the glory that is the Wet Burrito, La Burrita has taken my heart. Although, as a vegetarian I can’t comment on the quality of the meat, I feel like La Burrita is the most consistent and enjoyable place near the Berkeley campus that’s open past 9 p.m.

Their chips are warm at all hours, and their salsa bar caresses the mouth’s senses with spice and flavor that represents all my love of salsa.

Outside of their food, La Burrita is also a great pick because of their speedy service, comfortable atmosphere and secret back patio in their Southside spot.

Another awesome thing about La Burrita is its convenient locations, one on Euclid for those that live on Northside, as well as across the street from the Asian Ghetto on Durant.

If you’re new to La Burrita, try their Super Burrito, or if burritos aren’t your dish of choice, La Burrita offers a variety of other things, from tostadas to quesadillas and even salads.

  — Carli Baker

Hate it:

Oh, La Burrita, the canonical late night food spot. With all the numerous after-hours food locations on Durant, it’s a miracle that La Burrita manages to attract an audience. Perhaps it’s because most people who go there late are too intoxicated to notice the salsa has more water than spice, or maybe their munchies craving covers up the fact that their burrito lacks the usual enticing Mexican spices like cumin or hot peppers. It doesn’t matter though, because there is no justification powerful enough to masquerade La Burrita as a satisfactory restaurant.

A customer can expect the joys of flavorless ingredients and bland produce from any of the menu items. Their rice and beans taste like cylindrical nothings, merely there to give the tortilla shape. Even the flavored tortillas can’t save the dishes from their banal existence. As a last resort, perhaps you can douse your dish with the various salsas. Unfortunately, the result is a soggy, wet burrito, sans the delectable seasoning.

But hey, at least they can’t screw up the chips. Right?

— Ian Birnam

Best Sandwhich: Brazil Cafe

I’ve never been to the world-famous Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro. I’ve never worn a feather headdress and I’ve never danced the samba with a tanned, exotic man. But I have eaten the tri-tip sandwich at Berkeley’s own Brazil Cafe, and that, my friends, is a festival for the taste buds. Their succulent slabs of meat, rich arrays of fresh vegetables, refreshing mango smoothies and tangy cilantro garlic sauce are all reasons why the BraCaf (as nobody calls it) is the best around. But that’s not all.

So, they have the best sandwich. What of it? Cafe Milano has some good sandwiches. Subway has some cheap sandwiches. I bet even if the Earl of Sandwich himself slapped some slices of ham between bread, it wouldn’t be half bad. The point is, the sandwich is an easy food item to perfect. But what Brazil Cafe does so well, beyond its unique palette of flavors, is its atmosphere. At their University Avenue location, you can often hear the soothing   sounds of local musicians. At their indoor restaurant on Shattuck, you can sit among the warm and vivid paintings of South American landscapes. Whatever food option you choose at whichever location, Brazil Cafe is sure to bring a party.

— Jessica Pena

Best Coffee: Caffe Strada

With its cash-only service and medieval Wi-Fi, it’s a wonder Caffe Strada survives at all in a wired, Bay Area university town.

But take yourself down to Bancroft and College on a sunny Friday afternoon, and it’s clear what keeps the crowds coming. The best outdoor seating in Berkeley, friendly staff, rich espresso coffee and a fine range of cabinet food — in the dining department, there’s little that Strada leaves wanting.

Strada is the perfect place to read the paper, maybe even this paper — there’s a stack of Daily Californians conveniently placed beside the counter. Should you want to study, you might find yourself cursing at the 2006 Best of Berkeley Wi-Fi award that stares mockingly down from the back wall as you point your laptop towards the Anthropology Library, hoping to catch just a single bar of AirBears.

But with coffee served until midnight and toasty gas heaters wheeled out after sunset to keep you warm, what Strada lacks in technological comforts it makes up for in charm and good conversation. Just be sure to bring cash.

— Thomas Coughlan

Best Boba: Sweetheart Cafe

Sweetheart Cafe, located in the Durant Food Court (colloquially, of course, the Asian Ghetto), is unobtrusive to say the least, the kind of place you might not notice when in a hurry. Make no mistake, however: Sweetheart’s boba will stop you in your tracks if given the chance.

Boba, the round, jellylike pearls at the bottom of a cup of refreshing tea, are thick orbs of tapioca starch. The chewy bubbles are the perfect complement to the cafe’s menu of teas.

With an impressive — even intimidating — plethora of offerings, Sweetheart Cafe will undoubtedly keep the intrepid beverage adventurer from hitting a wall in the never-ending quest towards the perfect refreshment.

The sweethearts at Sweetheart will put boba in pretty much anything — almond milk, green tea, red bean tea, grass jelly or chrysanthemum drinks, and even in a selection of coffee drinks.

If boba isn’t your cup of tea (no pun intended), the Sweetheart cafe will graciously serve you anything without the chewy bubbles — just ask.

Certainly, for price, location and flavor, Sweetheart Cafe wins for best boba.

— Natalie Reyes

Best Ice Cream and Best Place to Take a Date: Ici

Ici’s minimalist, single perfect sphere of ice cream nestled on top of a slender homemade waffle cone doesn’t look like a traditional ice cream cone, and that’s because it’s not.

Owner Mary Canales, a former pastry chef at Chez Panisse, has found her niche in exploring flavors, such as pistachio sour cherry, nutmeg candied orange or cardamom rose. She also practices the same open kitchen as Chez Panisse and employees can be seen in the back, zesting lemons or preparing other local and fresh ingredients. With daily rotating flavors, the unexpected yet spot-on combinations never get old. Each scoop’s freshness stands apart from sugared-down ice creams, making it a just-right indulgence.

It’s a great place to bring friends, family, or a date, because the flavors are complex enough for the foodie, but chocolate and vanilla are always available. In fact, the line often leads out of the shop and past neighboring stores. But once the wait’s over, its location on College Avenue makes it the perfect place to stroll and enjoy a cone to the last chocolate-filled bite.

— A.J. Kiyoizumi

Best Burger: Bongo Burger

Best Breakfast: La Note

Best Burrito: Gordo Taqueria

The post Best of Berkeley: Best Dishes appeared first on The Daily Californian.

With the first game of the year Saturday at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, most restaurants surrounding Memorial Stadium anticipate a drop in sales, with some even adjusting their opening hours or canceling traditional game day events due to the change.

Both Northside restaurants Urbann Turbann and La Burrita are considering changing their Saturday hours due to the expected absence of weekend crowds. Urban Turbann may not even open.

“It’s a disappointment that they’re doing it over there,” said La Burrita owner Izat Eliyan. “We understand with the retrofits and everything, but every year we look forward to home games.”

On Southside, Hotel Durant and the adjacent Henry’s Pub, who have held home game tailgating events in past years, will not be holding any Saturday events beyond the typical public viewing on TVs in Henry’s, but they are not ruling out the possibility of future events if there is public demand.

The hotel’s General Manager Will Jones  said fans should check out Henry’s website for updates throughout the season.

“We’re expecting it to be insane in 2012 with the new stadium and a powerhouse line-up,” Jones said.

Top Dog will also be playing it by ear — employee Frank Brown said the restaurant will wait to see what gameday turnout is to decide whether or not to have its usual express lane next to their store on Durant Avenue to serve customers.  He said the company attempted to get permission to have a stand in AT&T Park, but their request was not approved.

Although fewer students will be attending games this season, at least 3,700 students — compared to the usual 6,500 student season passes typically sold for Memorial Stadium — will still make their way to San Francisco for the games.

So while Berkeley restaurants are bracing for a slowdown, businesses around AT&T Park are anticipating the benefits of having an influx of hungry college sports enthusiasts wandering the streets around the stadium.

“Assuming the games sell-out, we expect about a 30 percent increase in business on game days compared to our normal Saturday dinner,” said Jon D’Angelica, owner of Ironside, a restaurant just around the corner from the park.

For those staying in Berkeley on game day, Bear’s Lair Pub is planning to hold the first of many fall Cal football viewing parties this Saturday. According to Owner Sal Erakat, the pub’s license allows them to utilize the Bear’s Lair Food Court space behind the establishment, which will be filled with flat screen TVs and thirsty Bears fans.

“We want to create a home environment for students and fans to gather and watch the game together,” Erakat said. “We hope to make it the next best thing after going to the actual game.”

Dave Fogarty, the city of Berkeley’s economic development project coordinator, said he believes the lack of spectators brought to Berkeley for home games will have different effects on local business, not all of which will be negative.

“No doubt it will harm the restaurants because they get a lot of business from Cal fans. But at the same time, there won’t be as many visitors swamping parking facilities around town and making it difficult for regular customers to get access to other stores on game days,” Fogarty said.

Parking has been a constant frustration in the past on game days, when the already sparse parking options available around Memorial Stadium overflow, resulting in excessive illegal parking and massive amounts of traffic.

“It’s a trade-off. Hotels and restaurants will probably suffer, but on the other hand it makes access easier for other businesses,” he said.

The post Many Berkeley eateries expect drop in sales from the gameday crowd appeared first on The Daily Californian.

If hardcore Cal fans were disappointed by the news that Cal football would be moving from Memorial Stadium to AT&T Park for the 2011 season, imagine the dismay of countless Berkeley business owners who would otherwise take advantage of the hoards of hungry spectators flooding the campus and surrounding streets.

With the first game of the year Saturday at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, most restaurants surrounding Memorial Stadium anticipate a drop in sales, with some even adjusting their opening hours or canceling traditional game day events due to the change.

Both Northside restaurants Urbann Turbann and La Burrita are considering changing their Saturday hours due to the expected absence of weekend crowds. Urban Turbann may not even open.

“It’s a disappointment that they’re doing it over there,” said La Burrita owner Izat Eliyan. “We understand with the retrofits and everything, but every year we look forward to home games.”

On Southside, Hotel Durant and the adjacent Henry’s Pub — which have held home game tailgating events in past years — will not be holding any Saturday events beyond the typical public viewing on TVs in Henry’s, but they are not ruling out the possibility of future events if there is public demand. The hotel’s General Manager Will Jones said fans should check out Henry’s website for updates throughout the season.

“We’re expecting it to be insane in 2012 with the new stadium and a powerhouse lineup,” Jones said.

Top Dog will also be playing it by ear — employee Frank Brown said the restaurant will wait to see what gameday turnout is to decide whether or not to have its usual express lane next to their store on Durant Avenue to serve customers. He said the company attempted to get permission to have a stand in AT&T Park, but their request was not approved.

Although fewer students will be attending games this season, at least 3,700 students — compared to the usual 6,500 student season passes typically sold for Memorial Stadium — will still make their way to San Francisco for the games.

So while Berkeley restaurants are bracing for a slowdown, businesses around AT&T Park are anticipating the benefits of having an influx of hungry college sports enthusiasts wandering the streets around the stadium.

“Assuming the games sell out, we expect about a 30 percent increase in business on game days compared to our normal Saturday dinner,” said Jon D’Angelica, owner of Ironside, a restaurant just around the corner from the park.

For those staying in Berkeley on gameday, Bear’s Lair Pub is planning to hold the first of many fall Cal football viewing parties this Saturday. According to Owner Sal Erakat, the pub’s license allows them to utilize the Bear’s Lair Food Court space behind the establishment, which will be filled with flat screen TVs and thirsty Bears fans.

“We want to create a home environment for students and fans to gather and watch the game together,” Erakat said. “We hope to make it the next best thing after going to the actual game.”

Dave Fogarty, the city of Berkeley’s economic development project coordinator, said he believes the lack of spectators brought to Berkeley for home games will have different effects on local business, not all of which will be negative.

“No doubt it will harm the restaurants because they get a lot of business from Cal fans. But at the same time, there won’t be as many visitors swamping parking facilities around town and making it difficult for regular customers to get access to other stores on gamedays,” Fogarty said.

Parking has been a constant frustration in the past on gamedays, when the already sparse parking options available around Memorial Stadium overflow, resulting in excessive illegal parking and massive amounts of traffic.

“It’s a trade-off. Hotels and restaurants will probably suffer, but on the other hand it makes access easier for other businesses,” he said.

The post Many local restaurants expect drop in sales from gameday crowd appeared first on The Daily Californian.