Restler introduces bill to restore year-round outdoor dining

Diners sit outside a restaurant on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020, in New York. Photo: John Minchillo/AP

CITYWIDE — COUNCILMEMBER LINCOLN RESTLER on Thursday introduced legislation to restore year-round outdoor dining and simplify the city’s cumbersome permit process. The bill aims to revive the pandemic-era open dining program that once saw 12,000 restaurants participate, compared to only 1,400 applications under the current seasonal model.

The proposal would let restaurants operate roadway cafes year-round, with requirements for snow removal and sanitation, and it would expand eligibility to small eateries and food retailers licensed by the state.

“Outdoor dining was the silver lining of the pandemic,” Restler said in a release. “While a legislative overhaul of the program was required to formalize rules and processes, it has unfortunately forced restaurants to jump through arduous hurdles to participate in the program.”

“We can’t afford to lose a great program to poor policy,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, who introduced the original outdoor dining program in 2020 as a lifeline for small restaurants during the height of the pandemic. “Since then, the City has taken the program two steps back, making outdoor dining too costly and inaccessible for far too many restaurants.”

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