Small Eateries Get OK for Live Dinner Music

Small restaurants and cafes now may have a singer or musician for background music, the City Council has decided.

An amendment to a municipal code that was approved this week allows mom-and-pop eateries to provide entertainment, as long as the performer is solo and has no electronic amplification.

“This is a nice amenity that would add artistic culture to the community,” said Councilman Tony Ingegneri, who has a college background in music.

“It also allows each restaurant to go further into its own ethnicity.”

Under the amendment, audience members may not participate with a performer, which means no dancing or karaoke singing.

Restaurant owners also must apply for a permit before offering entertainment, City Manager George Tindall said Monday.

Small-scale entertainment has been an issue of study here for more than a decade.

City officials say the updated code will permit more restaurants and coffee houses to increase their appeal.

“If an Italian restaurant wants to play an accordion on a Friday night, now they can,” Mayor Bruce A. Broadwater said.