DiBella's Old Fashioned Submarines Adds Outdoor Patio

DiBella's Old Fashioned Submarines decided to change plans for a restaurant being built on SOM Center Road, across from Eastgate shopping center in . The business is scheduled to open in May 2012.

Work has started on the 6,043-square-foot building, which will house DiBella's and an undetermined tenant. Dan Carducci, director of real estate for DiBella's, came back to the city to get a setback variance to add a 200-square-foot outdoor patio to the plans that had been approved.

"The patio is not a very big part of the business decision," Carducci said at Monday's Mayfield Heights City Council meeting. However, even though DiBella's added the patio concept later, he said it's necessary to compete with other restaurants.

"The patio for restaurants from a business standpoint is an expected amenity," Carducci said.

The patio, which will have four tables and seat 12, was approved by the Board of Zoning Appeals and council affirmed that decision by a 4-2 vote. Dissenting were Councilman Nino Monaco and Councilwoman Donna Finney.

Finney argued that DiBella's could had reconfigured plans to make space for the patio without a variance. She said that since there is no other tenant yet, DiBella's should had made the unoccupied 2,356-square-foot space smaller.

Monaco said DiBella's should have included the patio in initial plans.