Outdoor dining returns for the season
A bill is currently before the City Council that proposes a return to outdoor dining all year round, as New York City saw during the pandemic.
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Outdoor dining is officially back, and businesses wasted no time getting those sheds up and ready for customers on Wednesday.
“People really loved it,” said Cathy Palm, owner of Le Gamin. “We really love it because this winter was so brutal. I think everyone was just dying to get out and enjoy the weather.”
While sidewalk cafes are allowed all year-round, this season allows businesses to have their roadway setups until Nov. 29.
“A whole different ballgame,” said Palm. “Because it's adding square footage to the existing dining area.”
“Outdoor dining has been a great addition for our business,” said Amr Alhalemi, a manager at Bagel Point. “You know, a lot of customers are able to sit in the store, sit down with their family, their pets."
A bill is currently before the City Council that proposes a return to outdoor dining all year round, as New York City saw during the pandemic.
Businesses say they support that idea, but they also see the value in some of the new restrictions.
“Certainly that would be very nice,” said Palm. “Setting things up and taking it apart actually requires a lot of work. Storing is a big issue.”
“First time around,” said Alhalemi, “anybody was allowed to just build any kind of structure. This year, they've kind of given us a blueprint and a guideline to follow. I would say it's better overall, attracts less rodents, and just keeps it clean. The other thing that I can see a difference in the regulations is having to file an application and pay fees. It hurts a little bit.”
The Department of Transportation says roughly 1,800 roadway and sidewalk dining setups are eligible to operate. Just over 700 are currently licensed. The numbers are similar to 2025, but far less than the more than 12,000 restaurants that participated during its peak in the pandemic.
