When patio season arrives, Vancouver restaurateur Roger Rasiah wants his customers to enjoy dining and drinking al fresco.

Last year, the co-owner and chef of Senova applied for a development permit to have a 38-seat patio outside his Italian restaurant located on the west side neighbourhood of Kerrisdale.

But according to Rasiah, city hall rejected the application because a number of his neighbours expressed concerns about potential noise in the outdoor seating area.

In addition to other commercial tenants at Senova’s 1880 West 57^th Avenue address, there are also condos that weren’t there when Rasiah acquired the restaurant about seven or eight years ago.

Rasiah said that the previous owner of Senova, which was originally a Portuguese restaurant, had tables and chairs outside the establishment.

According to Rasiah, his landlord asked him to get a permit from city hall last year, and unfortunately, his application to put up a patio was denied.

The restaurateur related that in the past, his establishment was making good revenue from the months of April to October when clients had space outside to relax with their nibbles and libations.

“Customers like outside,” Rasiah told the Straight in a phone interview.

Also, with the restaurant’s open kitchen, it becomes quite warm inside, especially during summer months, he said.

According to Rasiah, he has been conducting a survey with his clients if they want to have a patio at Senova, hoping the results could help should he file another development application permit.

As far as Rasiah can tell, “My customers want it.”