1 week Ago By Mallory Decker
With the advent of spring's warmer days, New York City restaurants are gearing up to expand their dining spaces outdoors. According to Eyewitness News, the Department of Transportation (DOT) has given the green light to 600 restaurants to construct roadway dining structures and another 2,000 for sidewalk dining as outdoor dining season officially kicks off on April 1. DOT's interactive website, Dining Out NYC, is set to aid these establishments by providing necessary information on things like proper distance from a crosswalk and suitable materials for overhead covering.
However, despite the allowances, many restaurants are caught in a bureaucratic limbo. Grub Street first reported the frustration among restaurant owners who are stuck trying to make it through the red tape as they prepare for one of the busiest dining seasons of the year. So far, from the 4,000 applications received, only 39 licenses have been issued.
"Without roadway dining, I don't want to continue in this business," chef and owner of Piccola Cucina Osteria Siciliana, Philip Guardione, told The New York Times. "You need outside dining, or you kill restaurants."In an effort to alleviate some of the pressure, DOT announced that effective April 1, restaurants with completed applications and adherence to the program's rules can begin outdoor operations sans a formal license, and they will not be subject to fines.
This comes in light of NYC comptroller Brad Lander noting the importance of the program, which brought in nearly $10 million in annual sales-tax revenue during the peak of the pandemic, according to The New York Times.Movers and shakers in the restaurant industry are desperately seeking to promptly get everything in place for outdoor dining, including additional staff hires and shed fabrications that can skyrocket into tens of thousands of dollars in costs. With the increase in overhead, such as a reported 50% jump in payroll costs for Guardione, it becomes clear that al fresco dining is more than a mere convenience—it's critical for a restaurant's survival.
Still, the city's approval process has turned out to be anything but simple. "They presented it as a very simple process but it absolutely is not," co-owner of iconic Manhattan eateries Steven Abramowitz, said to The New York Times.Despite the chaos, there's hope on the horizon.
DOT has finished scrutinizing over a thousand applications and expects to approve hundreds before the April 1 deadline. But even with a greenlight from DOT, restaurants must still jump through additional hoops, including community board presentations and securing approval from the State Liquor Authority to serve alcohol outside. As of now, only four dining establishments have navigated these waters successfully to serve liquor outdoors.
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