1. United States
2. Va.
3. Letter

I am writing to express my strong opposition to the table seating requirement in Bill 26103975D, which mandates that restaurants must have at least as many seats at tables as they have at counters. This provision is an unnecessary and unjust intrusion into business operations that will harm Virginia restaurants without serving any legitimate public interest. The seating configuration of a restaurant is a fundamental business decision that should reflect the establishment's concept, customer preferences, and physical space constraints. Counter seating has become increasingly popular in modern dining, particularly in urban areas where space is limited and customers often prefer the interactive experience of sitting at a bar or counter. This requirement would force many successful restaurants to either eliminate counter seats or undertake costly renovations to add table seating they may not need or have room for. Unlike the food-to-beverage ratio requirements in this bill, which relate to alcohol consumption and public safety concerns, the table seating mandate has no clear connection to responsible alcohol service or any other regulatory purpose. A restaurant with primarily counter seating can serve food and alcohol just as responsibly as one with table seating. This provision appears arbitrary and will disproportionately impact smaller establishments, gastropubs, and innovative dining concepts that have designed their spaces around counter service. The economic burden of compliance could be substantial. Restaurants operating in leased spaces with fixed square footage cannot simply add tables without removing revenue-generating counter seats. Some establishments may be forced to reduce their overall capacity or close entirely rather than comply with this inflexible requirement. I urge you to oppose Bill 26103975D as currently written, or at minimum, work to remove the table seating requirement from the legislation. The Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority should focus on legitimate safety and compliance issues rather than dictating interior design choices to business owners.