NYC Council will bring back year-round outdoor dining
King, a restaurant in the Village. Photo by GuardianKC, CC BY-SA 4.0
The New York City Council will make outdoor dining year-round again. During a speech at A Better New York’s (ABNY) Power Breakfast on Wednesday, City Council Speaker Julie Menin said she plans to advance legislation introduced last year that would bring back the pandemic-era program, allowing for roadway dining in winter and reducing the cost to businesses.
In a speech highlighting policy priorities as speaker, Menin said: “This is a big one, we will finally fix the City’s outdoor dining program to make it year-round and reduce the regulatory burdens for restaurants.”
She added: “These measures will help small businesses survive and adapt by clearing up policies of the past that can lead to closures and job loss.”
In 2023, the City Council approved a new dining program, scaling back the Covid-era system with stricter rules. Conceived by Mayor Eric Adams and former Speaker Adrienne Adams, Dining Out NYC changed the program to allow roadway dining only between April and November. This meant restaurants had to disassemble and store dining structures in the winter and follow specific design standards, as 6sqft previously reported.
As Menin’s team first shared with Politico, the plan is to pass a version of a bill introduced by Council Member Lincoln Restler last year, which would restore the year-round format.
Restler told Streetsblog that just 400 restaurants completed the outdoor dining application last year, while 2,600 operated with conditional approvals. During the height of the program, which debuted in June 2020, roughly 8,000 restaurants participated.
“We need to revisit the failed policies of the Adams administration and make outdoor dining a tremendous year-round success once again for New Yorkers to enjoy,” Restler told the website. “I’m thrilled that Speaker Menin has made year-round outdoor dining a top priority for the City Council.”
Remaining details on the reforms will be subject to negotiation among lawmakers, Streetsblog reported.
The NYC Hospitality Alliance, which advocates for NYC restaurants, praised Menin’s announcement.
“New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin has long been a friend to small businesses and a strong voice for our communities,” the group said in a statement.
“We’re thrilled to see her prioritize restaurants, nightlife, and other local businesses through meaningful policies—like reforming outdoor dining so small restaurants, workers, neighborhoods, and communities across the city can benefit.”
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