SEAL BEACH : Owner Denied Extended Hours at 2nd Restaurant

The owner of side-by-side restaurants learned this week that all eateries are not created equal.

Both the Planning Commission and the City Council denied David Bonadonna’s request to extend the operating hours of Los Cabos restaurant to match those of his Italian restaurant next door.

Villa Bonadonna at 500 E. Pacific Coast Highway stays open until midnight on weekdays.

At Los Cabos, the weekday closing time is 10 p.m.

City officials said they feared that longer hours would increase noise and traffic.

Commissioner Jim Sharp said his biggest concern is that, if the extended hours were granted, the city could not prevent a new owner from turning the property into a nightclub.

Bonadonna offered a compromise to City Council members Monday night, asking for an 11 p.m. closing time instead of midnight.

“I want to be a good neighbor in that area,” Bonadonna said.

Tom Charara, owner of Main Street Cafe, argued in favor of granting Bonadonna the extension, saying the city appears to be without uniform guidelines for operating hours.

“I encountered the same problem when I applied for my hours for the Main Street Cafe,” Charara said.

“I don’t know what logic the Planning Commission or the council uses to issue the hours.”

But Councilman Frank Laszlo said granting the extended hours could have a ripple effect.

“If this occurs, then the next thing you know the merchants down on Main Street will be requesting this,” Laszlo said.