Busy Halal Guys eatery wins a trial period for later hours, despite neighbors’ opposition

A popular Middle Eastern-inspired restaurant that opened this fall to overflowing crowds and uneasy relations with neighbors received permission from Costa Mesa planners this week to stay open as late as 1 a.m.

On a 3-1 vote Monday night — with Commissioner Stephan Andranian dissenting and Commissioner Colin McCarthy recusing himself because of a business relationship tied to the restaurant’s landlord — the Halal Guys, 3033 Bristol St., received the later hours for Thursday through Saturday on a three-month trial basis.

“I’m willing to give them a chance,” said Chairman Robert Dickson.

The restaurant had been open until 11 p.m.

But while the panel credited the neighborhood outreach efforts made by the restaurant to ease resident concerns — among them, noise, trash left on front lawns and parking in nearby tracts — it acknowledged that problems linger.

Andranian noted that the extended hours were being given to a business with only three months’ track record in town, and that neighbors have been unanimously against granting those hours.

“I’m gonna side with the residents on this one,” he said.

The Halal Guys, a New York-based chain, originally wanted to stay open until 3 a.m., but a city zoning administrator denied its request in September. The business appealed the decision, which brought it to the Planning Commission in October.

Hearing resident concerns, the commission voted to postpone its decision until December, with the intent on seeing if problems were solved by then.

Thomas Pham, Halal Guys’ franchisee for Southern California, said Monday that his crew members have been picking up trash in the neighborhoods.

Within the 1,440-square-foot restaurant itself, Pham said, the initial hype has died down since the October grand opening and their service is quicker, making for shorter lines throughout the day.

Claire Flynn, the city’s assistant development services director, estimated that lines are down at Halal Guys by 50% to 75% from the restaurant’s opening peak. She added that city staff haven’t observed excessive trash on the ground in the area, but acknowledged that their visits were brief and not at all hours of the day.

Jason Ball, a representative for the 3033 Bristol St. property, said Halal Guys management has been a very responsive tenant.

“Overall, I think the Halal Guys has responded well and they’re doing a good job,” Ball said.