Outdoor dining in New York City could soon become a year-round option again, with the City Council expected to approve legislation Thursday allowing restaurants to keep outdoor tables and roadway dining structures in place throughout the winter.
Outdoor dining was first introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the program came with a patchwork of rules and complaints from New Yorkers who said the dining structures took away already-limited parking spaces.
Changes made under the Adams administration required roadway dining structures to be removed and stored from November through April.
That restriction would end under a package of legislation expected to pass Thursday.
One bill would expand the city’s Dining Out NYC program to allow roadway dining to operate year-round. The legislation would take effect immediately, meaning businesses would no longer have to remove their roadway dining structures starting Nov. 30.
The package would also cap operating hours for sidewalk cafes and roadway dining at 11 p.m. — down from midnight — and establish new sanitation standards and penalties to ensure the spaces are kept clean.
The legislation would allow seasonal enclosures for year-round sidewalk cafes between Oct. 1 and March 31.
It would also give business owners the option to pay annual outdoor dining fees in quarterly installments.
City Council Speaker Julie Menin said the package addresses concerns from both business owners and New Yorkers.
“I don’t know about that given this past winter that we had but having it available in the fall and other times is definitely worth it,” she said.
Some New Yorkers remain opposed to year-round outdoor dining, citing the loss of parking.
“I prefer it go away. It takes up a lot of parking space and there isn’t a lot to begin with,” one resident told NY1.
Others said they would support keeping the dining structures year-round as long as they are properly maintained.
“As long as they keep it clean because I noticed the first time around there was more rats. I don’t notice them much anymore,” another said. “But as long as they keep it clean, why not?”