A lot has changed since Jerry Umnartyutithum took over Cindy’s Restaurant in South Davis 16 years ago. And he said the building codes in Davis seem stricter than Sacramento, where he opened Thai Terrace eight years ago.
That’s what he is finding in trying to open Butter & Basil, which fills the former Black Bear Diner space at 255 Second St. in Davis. Like Cindy’s, the new restaurant will serve American diner food and Thai cuisine.
He says he didn’t do major structural remodeling, so he didn’t expect to need a permit. He updated the flooring, ceilings, ducts, countertops, paint, fans and other items. Things like that didn’t need permits when he took over Cindy’s in 2010 or opened his Sacramento restaurant in 2018.
Well, he was wrong. The city of Davis is requiring architectural drawings and building permits for those changes, and the opening of Butter & Basil is delayed.
Davis has a reputation for being strict in its code enforcement. City Public Information Officer Barbara Archer acknowledged that. “We do have (a) robust inspection system here in Davis, but the laws are not different elsewhere – we are just actually doing the inspection work.”
Umnartyutithum has approval from the county health department but now needs the city building department to sign off on the yet-to-be-drawn renderings.
“It’s all documents,” he said. Otherwise, “everything is ready.”
If everything is approved next week, it’s possible he could open by the end of October. But that’s optimistic.
He’s frustrated. He hired employees, telling them he expected to open at the end of September. Now, some of those people have moved on.
One major requirement he was able to postpone was replacing the grease trap. The 36-year-old one left by Black Bear Diner was well-kept but nearing the end of its lifespan. He hopes to recover costs from his landlord. The city wants a new one within two years.
Older models are made of metal, and are prone to rust and holes, Archer wrote in an email. Today’s grease traps are concrete.
I’ve been hearing a lot from incoming Davis restaurants about the city’s strict enforcement of grease traps, called grease interceptors in federal laws and state codes.
Grease interceptors capture kitchen fats, oils and grease when they are warm. As grease cools, it rises to the top while solids sink to the bottom. This allows the cooled grease and solids to be captured, and for clean water to flow through the middle, preventing pollutants from entering the sewer system.
Archer concluded, “We take this seriously from a public health standpoint. … These practices are standard, and dictated by federal law and state code.”
→ Speaking of grease traps: Meanwhile, at the future Munchie Man site at 113 D St. in Davis, owner Christopher Fairman is dealing with a similar problem.
