Many Hayes Valley residents and regulars were disappointed several weeks ago to find nearly a dozen outdoor tables at Stacks had vanished.

Once lining Octavia Street from Hayes all the way down to Miette, a lone table now sits in the sun at the corner – the recently gorgeous weather going to waste where bustling two-tops once offered a perfect view of the heart of the neighborhood. We caught up with our favorite breakfast staple to find out what happened to these popular tables. We discovered through multiple employees of Stacks Comfortable Food that the removal of these tables was absolutely not by choice. Stacks was informed roughly six weeks ago that a loophole in their outdoor seating permit, which originally included just one table on Octavia Street, had been found by the city during the investigation of a lawsuit. A woman from Oakland claims to have tripped on the uneven surface of the sidewalk near a tree bed at the corner of Hayes and Octavia. She chose to file a lawsuit against the city, which, after looking into the location and finding Stacks' outdoor seating permits, decided to pass the buck. Stacks was forced to resubmit permit requests and drawings, and remove the tables from the street at once. The tables' abrupt and swift departure has left a very noticeable hole in business, with customer complaints abounding. Stacks' weekend demand is generally known to cause a decent wait for large and indoor parties, so the abundance of outdoor seating was a perfect opportunity for couples, singles, and dog owners wanting to slip in and out for a meal. Now Stacks has watched their outdoor crowd migrate to the tables in the sun over at La Boulange, and around the corner at Straw and Bar Jules. They are currently in a holding pattern, waiting six weeks so far for approval from the city. There is no word yet on when this might happen. However, as Stacks' President Geoffrey Swenson says when the complaints come in, all they can do is play by the rules.