Now that we've had a couple weeks to get settled in with the patio, we've figured out some ways to make this work. And I'm sure that over time, we'll figure out even better ways. The city set some ground rules when they allowed bars to have sidewalk areas, so we- and you- have to abide by their rules if we want to keep it.
Dave created brand new "patio passes." These passes replace the smoking cards that we used to have at the door. They're attached to spiffy lanyards provided by adidas intern/doorboy Andrew. If you want to go out on the patio, ask the bartender/doorguy for a pass. Same thing if you want to go outside to smoke.
The new patio passes have the rules for the patio printed on them. It's pretty basic stuff.
It shouldn't be too hard to follow these few simple rules. If you want to go outside with your drink, just ask the bartender or doorguy for a plastic cup and a patio pass. They'll hook you up.
We hope everyone enjoys our patio!