One of Plaça Catalunya’s favourite café terraces is facing potential closure, the Ajuntament announced last week. Café Zurich, which currently holds 70 outdoor tables, may lose its alfresco seating area after breaching minimum distance regulations, which includes being too close to pedestrian crossings and metro station entrances. The other four restaurant terraces on the city’s most famous square, belonging to the Hard Rock Café, Farggi, Txapela and H10 Hotel, could also be affected in order to create more accessible walkways.
Café Zurich’s owner Andreu Valldeperas, whose family have run the café since 1920, is willing to challenge this potential ruling in court: “I owe it to my grandfather, my father and my daughter.” Roger Pallarols of Gremi de Restauració de Barcelona, an organisation that aims to defend the interests of Barcelona’s eating establishments, was equally critical of the planned scheme: “The Ajuntament are sending a devastating message to one of the economy’s key players—do not invest in this particular sector.”
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