ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando city commissioners took a procedural step Monday to advance a proposal they hope will help make the downtown area safer.

What You Need To Know

  •  A new Orlando ordinance defines what it means to be restaurants, bars and nightclubs

  •  City commissioners passed the ordinance unanimously Monday

  •  The city's mayor says the ordinance paves the way for restaurants, bars and nightclubs to face different regulations moving forward

Commissioners voted to pass an ordinance defining what exactly it means to be a restaurant, bar or nightclub. To be considered a restaurant, for instance, at least 51% of gross revenues must come from the sale of food and nonalcoholic beverages.

Commissioners unanimously voted to approve the measure after striking a line requiring restaurants that serve alcohol be open to guests of all ages. 

Monica McCown, the executive chef of Ember in downtown Orlando and creative director of Artisan’s Table a few blocks away, recommended striking that line, fearing it would restrict restaurants’ operations and discourage new establishments from choosing to operate downtown. 

“I want to see Orlando be really vibrant,” she said. “Have a diverse community of restaurants, bars, nightclubs, all sorts of different types of entertainment.”

Mayor Buddy Dyer said the ordinance paves the way for the ability to regulate certain establishments that operate after midnight differently — instead of lumping restaurants, bars and nightclubs altogether as before.

“There will probably be some measure that we would like to take at some point to increase safety awareness, and this will give us the ability to look at different things,” he said.