Despite Perth's Mediterranean climate, outdoor cafe tables like those common in Spain and Italy took a long time for the city to get its head around.
The battle for the footpath has been documented in a recent report by the independent think-tank, the Committee for Perth, as part of a series on how Perth has coped with change and development, titled 'What We Thought Would Kill Us'.
In 1977, Nunzio Gumina, an Italian migrant and the owner of Papa Luigi's on Fremantle's South Terrace, was inspired by the suggestion of another Italian chef to try to offer outdoor dining and applied for permission to put just three tables outside for patrons to sit at.
