WEST VILLAGE, Manhattan (WABC) — Roadway dining is back, beginning today.
With April finally here, you’ll notice hundreds of new sheds popping up around the city alongside spring flowers.
There are some mixed feelings about the return of seasonal dining sheds, among both business owners and city residents.
It was a long winter made longer by tariffs that impacted B’artusi’s Wine Imports. Every little bit counts toward the mom and pop’s bottom-line, which means the owner, Maire McCrea, was hungry for the return of outdoor dining.
“For us, it doubles our footprint. We have an extra 40 seats outside versus the 40 seats inside, so it makes a significant impact on our business model,” McCrea said.
While plenty of restaurant owners have been waiting for the day they can put their outdoor dining sheds back up, for others, like Il Violino on the Upper West Side, it’s a distant memory. Cars sit where their shed would typically go up.
The owner told Eyewitness News, it’s become too much of a headache.
“The cost is very expensive,” owner Carmen Ortiz said.
Ortiz says the thousands of dollars for licensing fees and storage costs are not worth it, especially because she says the city is being picky about where the shed can go.
“The measure that they give us is starting from the second car all the way down to where the parking space is,” Ortiz said. “That’s the part where we are allowed to build. So, it’s kind of far away from the restaurant. And I’m pretty sure the city is going to be very strict this year with the measures and everything they ask for to do it.”
In fact, the city’s own transportation commissioner says the thriving program has declined because of cumbersome new requirements. The law requires multiple reviews by local community boards, the City Council and the Department of Transportation, that can lengthen the approval process by six or even eight months.
“It’s been an ongoing give and take by what’s allowed by the city and what’s allowed by our community board,” McCrea said. “Everyone’s like ‘oh, I need to be able to walk my dog.’ Someone always has something to say.”
DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn says there is a need to make the program year-round and make the process easier.
Under the New York City Council’s current rules, while around 1,800 restaurants can operate sidewalk setups year-round, roadway dining only operates seasonally from April to November.
Just over 600 restaurants opted to set up roadway structures last year.
In 2026, that number is down to around 500.
Roadway dining runs from April 1 through November 29.
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