Schanigarten

thumb|300px| near University of Vienna|Vienna University '''' (plural: Schanigärten) is the Austro-Bavarian term for tables and chairs set up on the sidewalk in front of eating and drinking places. Unlike normal beer gardens (Gastgärten), the customers actually sit on public property. Originally, Schanigärten'' referred only to Viennese coffee houses, but now the expression is used in other parts of Austria and for other types of establishments like restaurants and taverns.

==Regulations== In order to operate a , an establishment needs an authorization according to road traffic or trade regulations, which is valid from March 1 to November 15. The is a very attractive proposition for the owners of an establishment, as they only pay a very limited yearly fee of several euros per square meter to the municipality. Operations like ice cream stores can thereby effectively multiply their seating area on public property at minimal cost. An extreme example is the ice cream store Zanoni in the Vienna city center that extends its over three quarters of the adjacent public square and has set up glass separators to prevent side walk users from crossing the privatized zone.