"They should remove 24 seats from inside to put it outside, which is what we've done with most restaurants," Council Member Julie Araskog said at a development review meeting this fall, as reported by the Palm Beach Daily News. She was talking about Trevini Ristorante on Sunset Avenue. The same rule applies to every dining room on the island.
On Palm Beach, a restaurant can't just add a chair. Each seat counts as parking demand, so new seats need either more parking or a variance from Town Hall. A restaurant's hours, valet stand and seat cap often end up in a signed agreement with the town. This fall, four of the island's best-known dining rooms were in that process together, and the terms decide when a patio table actually exists this winter.
Twenty-Four Chairs, Eight Parking Spaces
Trevini, at 223 Sunset Ave., has 106 seats today: 76 indoors and 30 outside. It asked to add 24 outdoor seats for dinner only, which would bring it to 130. Under town code, those 24 seats would require eight more off-street parking spaces, which works out to one space for every three seats. Trevini doesn't have those spaces on site, so it requested a parking variance.
The council argued about whether the request was a bigger use of the property. "I don't see a provision for us to approve this, as it's a clear increase in intensity with no solution for the eight (parking) spots," Council Member Bridget Moran said, according to the Daily News. The restaurant's attorney, Maura Ziska, said the new seats would only be used at dinner, when valet is running. She said Trevini can use 47 spaces in a garage and 11 more at a nearby dental office. Mayor Danielle Moore said she believed the parking was adequate, noting that the restaurant had rented extra spaces after an earlier complaint, and called Trevini "completely town serving."
The building also has people living upstairs. Trevini takes up the ground floor of a two-story mixed-use building with three residential units above it. Concerns about noise near those windows were part of the debate. The council had already deferred the request once, on Sept. 9. At its next development review meeting, it voted 4–1 to defer again, and set the request for reconsideration on Oct. 14.
Trevini has done this before. When it moved to Sunset Avenue in December 2019, from the building now occupied by the White Elephant Palm Beach, the council approved 106 seats, shared parking and a parking variance. That seat count has stayed fixed for almost seven years, and changing it means going back before the council.
The Agreement That Sets a Restaurant's Hours
The tool that turns these debates into rules is called a declaration of use agreement. In its report on Le Bilboquet, the Daily News describes it as "a legal agreement between the restaurant and Town Hall that governs the operations" of the restaurant. Trevini doesn't have one on file yet. Town staff said an agreement could cover outdoor seating, hours of operation and valet service.
The Oct. 14 Town Council development review agenda listed draft agreements for three restaurants, plus Trevini's seating request. The drafts show how detailed these agreements get. The table below summarizes the drafts posted with that agenda, and the final versions the council adopts may be different.
| Draft terms | Trevini, 223 Sunset Ave. | Le Bilboquet, 245-A Worth Ave. | Starr restaurant, 151 Worth Ave. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total seats | 130, with 54 outdoors | 121, with up to 40 in the second-floor private dining room and up to 58 in the courtyard | 165, with 133 inside and 32 on the second-floor terrace |
| Hours | 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. daily | 11 a.m. to midnight daily, 2 a.m. on New Year's Eve | Weekday lunch, weekend brunch, dinner 5:30 to 11 p.m., 2 a.m. on New Year's Eve |
| Valet and parking | Valet from 5 p.m. to close, stand on the north side of Sunset Avenue | At least two valets after 6 p.m., evening parking at the Apollo Lot | Employees park in the on-site garage or other facilities on or off the island |
| Notable condition | New east-patio seats only after 6 p.m., on a limited schedule from Nov. 1, 2026, to June 1, 2027 | Must return to the council if the Apollo Lot withdraws access | Terrace capped at 32 seats |
The Le Bilboquet terms come from a vote that had already passed. On Sept. 9, the council approved the restaurant's site plan and special exception 4–1, then approved its parking variance by a closer 3–2, the Daily News reported. The request was for 12 more seats upstairs for private dinner parties. The seating request passed 4–1. The parking variance passed by a single vote.
Royal Poinciana Way Gets 284 Seats and a Valet Plan
The biggest seat count on the island this season belongs to a restaurant that hasn't opened yet. Élephante, the Mediterranean restaurant from Nick Mathers' Wish You Were Here Group, is coming to 207 Royal Poinciana Way in the former Almond space. Haute Living reports plans for 284 indoor and outdoor seats, valet service, live music, and a companion market and bakery next door at 208–210 Sunset Ave. It will be the brand's first Florida location, after Santa Monica and Scottsdale. No opening date has been announced.
The council handled Élephante's parking ahead of time. In February, it approved a declaration of use agreement that lets the restaurant's valets park cars on the street, with several nearby lots as backup. The Daily News reported that some council members worried the restaurant's diners could take up much of the parking on the street that anchors the Royal Poinciana Way commercial district. For anyone who uses Royal Poinciana Way for errands, that agreement will affect the curb more than the menu will.
The Same Process on Worth Avenue and South County Road
Two other projects show the system at work in very different spaces. Stephen Starr's restaurant at 151 Worth Ave. will fill the former Neiman Marcus building, which has been empty since the store closed in 2020. The council conditionally approved 165 seats there on Sept. 9: 126 at indoor tables, seven at the bar and 32 on a balcony over Worth Avenue. The approval included shared parking and a variance that eliminates one required on-site loading space, according to the draft agreement posted with the town's agenda. The restaurant is tentatively called Room Service, and the Daily News reported it could open as early as December 2027. The seat count was settled more than a year before the first dinner service.
At 380 S. County Road, in the building that used to house Le Bar a Vin, the council approved site plans for George x Avenue 31, a Mediterranean restaurant with a nightclub, spread over two floors, the Daily News reported. Its draft declaration of use was also on the Oct. 14 agenda. The brand started on Avenue Princesse Grace in Monaco and has not announced an opening date.
The council has been counting seats for a while. In a 2024 planning discussion covered by the Daily News, commissioners talked about limits on restaurants, minimum spacing between them, checking the seat counts restaurants report, and setting capacity by square footage. The 2026 cases show the same approach in practice. Each new chair is approved one at a time, with a parking plan attached.
What the Terms Mean for a Table This Winter
The agreements turn into a calendar. If Trevini's draft is adopted as written, the planned dates look like this:
- Nov. 1, 2026: The east-patio seats can start operating, only after 6 p.m. and on a limited schedule.
- Every evening from 5 p.m.: Valet runs from the north side of Sunset Avenue until the 10:30 p.m. close.
- After June 1, 2027: The patio can be used seven days a week.
At Le Bilboquet, more upstairs seats for private dinners depend on the Apollo Lot staying available in the evening. If that arrangement ends, the restaurant has to go back to the council. On Royal Poinciana Way, Élephante's street-valet plan was approved before the restaurant opened. Final agreements and votes are posted on the Town of Palm Beach CivicClerk portal, next to the drafts summarized above.
If you own or are thinking about a home near Sunset Avenue, Royal Poinciana Way or Worth Avenue, the restaurant agreements nearby shape your evenings as much as the floor plan does: valet hours, patio schedules and where the cars go. Ivy Lipkin and our team follow these Town Council files block by block. Book an Appointment and we'll walk you through what's approved near any address you're considering.