Roadside dining structures came down across the city on November 29, as the first year of the city’s permanent outdoor dining program wrapped up. But Hell’s Kitchen residents may not have noticed much demolition last month, because few neighborhood restaurants actually took part in the roadside option.
The roadway dining structure at Red Stache on W52nd Street being dismantled in early November. Photo: Catie Savage
Out of 59 Hell’s Kitchen establishments approved for outdoor dining by the Department of Transportation (DOT) in March, only 13 opted for roadside dining, meaning they could construct dining structures in the street. Most eateries only applied for sidewalk dining permits.
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Brennan LaBrie is a Manhattan-based multimedia journalist who originally hails from Washington State. He began reporting in elementary school, when he published a handwritten weekly paper covering local news for three years, and reported on events like the 2010 Winter Olympics for TIME For Kids. He returned to journalism in college, reporting for the school paper and his hometown newspaper during summer breaks. He also co-directed three feature documentaries, one of which received a 2021 College Emmy. He moved to New York City in 2022, and, following a stint as a server in fine dining restaurants, began freelancing for publications around the city. His favorite topics to cover are urban development, housing, education and environmental issues, and his work can be found in The Rockaway Wave and the BK Reader.