Did parking meters do the Chop House in?

Sarasota restaurateur David Arnold has had quite a sour summer.

First, he says he stood helpless while his business, First Street Chop House, took a hit under the city of Sarasota's schizophrenic parking philosophy. First meters were out, then in, then widely lambasted, then taken out again, sort of.

Arnold says on day one of the meters, May 23, the Chop House, in a prime downtown Sarasota location next to the Sarasota Opera House, sat empty for lunch. And while some customers trickled back in June, the restaurant never recovered.

“Everyone thought we would go three or four days and it would work itself out,” Arnold says. “The reality is, it didn't happen that way.”

The city bagged meters for a less restrictive philosophy in early July. But business, says Arnold, was off 60% compared with the same time last year for the six weeks the city held strong to meters, Arnold tells Coffee Talk. Arnold admits he was stunned that the meters had such an impact on sales, considering the restaurant is a high-end concept.

Arnold was stunned even more July 11, however, when the Chop House's landlord evicted him for being late on the rent — a fact Arnold says stemmed directly from lost revenue caused by parking meters. The restaurant closed for good that day.

Arnold says he put $300,000 into the restaurant, a personal investment that's totally wiped out. “We were approaching 2 years old,” says Arnold, “so we thought the first-year jitters were behind us.”