Introduced during the covid shutdown, NYC’s year-round outdoor dining program was a lifeline for restaurants no longer able to seat guests indoors. Its purpose was to make it easier for an industry so hard hit by the pandemic. Then came “Dining Out NYC”, the permanent outdoor dining program approved by city council in 2023. With seasonal requirements and stricter rules, the new program made it difficult for many restaurants to participate.
Operators now had to disassemble their structures, incur costs to store them for the winter, pay new fees, and follow specific design standards. Many opted out.
According to the Department of Transportation (DOT) participation in the Dining Out NYC Program dropped by approximately 75%.
Earlier this month City Council Member Lincoln Restler introduced new legislation that would:
• eliminate seasonal limits on roadway cafes,
• allow grocery and specialty stores to participate
• allow cafés to expand frontage.
• simplify the review process for restaurants applying for a sidewalk or roadway café.
The proposed legislation (Intro. 1421 ) aims to expand NYC’s Dining Out program by eliminating seasonal restrictions and streamlining the process, making it possible for more businesses to thrive .
Hopefully city council acts quickly to approve this bill. We’ll keep our fingers crossed.
