BZA restricts Bonefish’s hours

After more than a month of delays, Bonefish is finally ready to open its doors. But not for lunch.

The Board of Zoning Appeals decided at its May 21 meeting that the restaurant could open, but limited its hours: It will be open for dinner only, from 4 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., Monday through Friday, and for lunch and dinner, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 a.m., on Saturdays and Sundays. The BZA also approved its requested parking variance.

“I’m very happy the board voted in our direction,” said Bill Breidenbach, owner of Kollner’s Prime Meats, which is down the block from Bonefish and shares its municipal lot. “I was glad to see many concerned citizens, and they’re fed up with the parking situation in their town.”

Many nearby business owners came to a BZA meeting on May 7 to voice their opposition to allowing Bonefish to open for lunch. Their concern was that the restaurant would quickly fill what little parking there was in the municipal lot, leaving nowhere for the customers of other businesses to park.

Under an agreement between Bonefish and the HSBC Bank next door, the restaurant may use the lot during its business hours. That is the only parking reserved for the restaurants’ use. The BZA also ruled that Bonefish must employ valet parking attendants and post a 4-foot-square sign stating that parking is restricted and that patrons must use the valet service.

“They have to follow the rules like everyone else in the village,” said Jimmy Trahanas, owner of the Golden Reef Diner, across Sunrise Highway from Bonefish. “I had to follow the rules for 30 years. If they knew from the beginning that they weren’t supposed to open for lunch and that was the deal they made with the village, I think they should honor the agreement.”

The BZA’s approval of the parking variance was the last major hurdle delaying Bonefish’s opening. As of press time on Tuesday, it had yet to announce an opening date.

Despite its limited hours of operation, owners of nearby businesses remain concerned about the impact it will have on parking. “Even though they’re closed for lunch, [parking] will still be a problem on the weekends,” Breidenbach said. “But hopefully it will work out in the future.”