Sebastopol BBQ restaurant must stop using outdoor smokers at its site

A&M BBQ must stop using its outdoor smokers at its current location in Sebastopol, California, by the end of the week.

The restaurant can stay open, but its owners say the restriction could reduce how much food they make and which dishes they serve.

Sebastopol officials rejected two zoning changes that could have allowed the smokers to continue operating there.

The city says outdoor commercial barbecues are not allowed in the restaurant’s Office Commercial district, and neighbors had complained about smoke.

The decision leaves the existing zoning rules in place and ends a temporary pause in enforcement.

Continued use of the smokers could lead to fines, according to a courtesy notice from the city.

The owners have explored other ways to cook the meat, but a previous arrangement to prepare it elsewhere ended after the county health department objected to transporting it.