Heat Lamp Shortage Snarls Outdoor Dining Plans

Welcome to p.m. Intel, your lunchtime (or so) roundup of Bay Area food and restaurant news from publications near and far. Tips are always welcome, drop them here.

• Slate speaks with Keith Wilson, the owner of North Beach sports bar the Boardroom, about his reliance on patio heaters and heat lamps to lure outdoor diners to his spot. Demand for the devices has apparently shot up more than the market can handle, with some venues on a two-month waiting list to get warm. Wilson’s now planning on ordering “beanies and sweatshirts with the bar’s logo in case customers want to purchase some outerwear on the spot.”
• Bay City News is typically a local wire service focused on the nit-and-grit of city hall and crime. But Tuesday the newswire took a detour into the wild murals that now cover the barriers around the Buena Vista Cafe’s outdoor dining section. “It’s been a labor of love. The entire project was built around love: love for the community, love for the world, love for you and me,” artist Kurt M. Schwartzmann, a longtime patron of the classic SF spot, says.
• Mountain View’s Michelin-starred Chez TJ will have a new chef when it reopens for outdoor dining on September 15: Christopher Lemerand, a veteran of Atelier Crenn, SPQR, and Coi. [East Bay Times]
• Another day, another cap for commissions delivery apps can charge restaurants. Today’s capper is Santa Clara, the city council for which unanimously agreed on a 15 percent cap Tuesday night. [Bay Area News Group]
• 23-year-old Trattoria La Siciliana will close on College Avenue, and reopen inside Agrodolce Osteria in North Berkeley. [Berkeleyside]
• Popular SF bakery 20th Century Cafe is adding a wine shop, run by former staffer turned natural wine expert Kara Fowler. [SF Chronicle]