ENCINITAS — As the summer brings longer days and warmer nights, visitors to downtown’s restaurants crowd the limited outdoor seating. However, not everything on the menu is available to those who choose to enjoy their culinary delights along Coast Highway 101.

Restaurateur Paolo Pedrazzani has owned Via Italia for six years. “For six years I’ve been trying to get permission to serve my customers a nice bottle of wine at the tables outside,” he said to a crowd that had gathered on the sidewalk June 26.

Pedrazzani was joined by Bob Nanninga, co-owner of E Street Café and a candidate for City Council. Nanninga said the restrictions on serving alcohol at outdoor seating areas extended to all but two downtown restaurants. Vigilucci’s and The Roxy were “grandfathered” in according to Nanninga when the council directed staff to restrict alcohol service in 2002. “This is a question of equality and fairness,” he said.

Nanninga called for a summit-style meeting between the Downtown Encinitas MainStreet Association, the Chamber of Commerce, downtown business owners and the Sheriffs Department to rectify the inequity.

“As a supporter of small business, the city should help them realize their economic potential,” Nanninga told the crowd.

Pedrazzani claimed that his sales were 20 percent lower because his restaurant is restricted from serving alcohol at the outdoor seating area. “I find it ridiculous that they (customers) cannot enjoy a plate of pasta with 6 ounces of wine outside,” he said.

Gardenology owner Lili McIntire said she supported the outdoor alcohol service as a means to attract more visitors to the downtown area. “It’s dead here at night,” she said during the gathering. “More people eating outside would bring more business to the area.”

Other areas of the city are not restricted from serving alcohol outdoors. The state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control requires outdoor cafes to be separated from the rest of the sidewalk by railings, fences or landscaped planter boxes. They must also allow at least 48 inches of space between the dining area and the curb to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

City Council voted to restrict outdoor alcohol service in February 2002, in response to concerns that downtown sidewalks would be restricted to pedestrians.

Nanninga said the bigger picture of the city’s future is at issue. “If small business thrives, then maybe we can say no to Wal-Mart and to Costco.”