Elk Grove Opposes Home-Based Restaurant Kitchens Amid Safety Concerns

The Elk Grove City Council voted unanimously Wednesday night to reaffirm its opposition to allowing microenterprise home kitchen operations, or MEHKOs, in Sacramento County, citing concerns about public safety, neighborhood impacts and unfair competition with traditional restaurants.

During the May 27 meeting, Code Enforcement Manager Jose Mendez presented the proposal and requested authorization for Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen to send a letter to the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors opposing countywide authorization of the home-based food operations.

MEHKOs were created under Assembly Bill 626 in 2018 and allow residents to prepare and sell meals from private homes. Subsequent legislation expanded the allowable number of meals from 60 to 90 per week and increased annual sales limits from $50,000 to $100,000.

Mendez said Sacramento County is considering an ordinance that would permit MEHKOs throughout the county, including within incorporated cities such as Elk Grove.

“Unlike food facilities, residential kitchens are not designed, constructed, or regulated to commercial standards,” Mendez told the council. He said the city’s concerns include sanitation, fire safety, grease and waste disposal, ventilation and the ability to conduct ongoing inspections inside private homes.

The city’s staff report said MEHKOs could create traffic, parking, noise, odor and waste impacts in residential neighborhoods while also limiting local government control over zoning and enforcement.

According to the report, six of Sacramento County’s seven incorporated cities oppose permitting the operations.

Resident Lynn Wheat urged council members to consider the issue in light of the city’s past economic development efforts involving Slow and Low Barbeque, a restaurant that received city assistance before ultimately closing.

“With our economic development and what happened with Slow and Low, if we'd been able to give them a little smaller pot of money and if they'd started out at home, we might have been able to see if their product would have been worthwhile,” Wheat said.

Council members said they supported entrepreneurship but believed home-based commercial kitchens posed too many risks for residential neighborhoods.

Councilman Rod Brewer referenced a home-based food operation in his district that generated complaints from nearby residents.

“It disrupted the quality of life of the people in the neighborhood,” Brewer said. “I appreciate the innovation of some people trying to make money and showcase their talents to the public. But to have something like this just doesn’t really work well for our residents.”

Councilman Kevin Spease said his primary concern was not necessarily food preparation inside homes, but the impacts on neighborhoods and infrastructure.

“My issue is the impact that it has on the neighborhood and the underground infrastructure,” Spease said. “I don’t think it’s right. I don’t think it’s fair.”

The council approved the resolution unanimously.