Outdoor Dining Has Faded Out - And Not Just Because It's Winter - Streetsblog New York City

"Thousands of outdoor dining areas might not return to roadways next year, the result of what activists call a costly approval process created by the Adams administration when it chose to turn the year-round Covid-era program into a seasonal one. But the crash diet for the outdoor dining program also stems from the fact that the pandemic has passed, the Department of Transportation countered at a Council oversight hearing on Monday."

"The main news from the joint hearing by the Transportation and Consumer and Worker Protection committees is that just 400 restaurants - 300 in the roadside and 100 on the sidewalk - have completed the outdoor dining application process, including paying thousands of dollars in roadside or sidewalk space fees up front. Another 2,600 restaurants had been allowed to operate this year with conditional approvals, officials said - conditional, that is, on completing the necessary paperwork and paying the fee."

"DOT testimony on Monday suggested that many of the restaurants that skated by this year won't bother to finish the paperwork and pay the fee so they return to roadway spaces when the program revives on April 1, 2026. (The 1,700 or so sidewalk cafes can operate year-round, though the vast majority are on conditional approval right now and also may choose not to finish that process.)"

Thousands of outdoor dining areas face not returning to roadways next year after the city converted the year-round Covid-era program into a seasonal one with a costly approval process. Only 400 restaurants — 300 roadside, 100 sidewalk — completed the application and paid space fees; roughly 2,600 operated this year under conditional approvals requiring later paperwork and payment. Roadside dining sheds must be removed by Nov. 29. DOT testimony indicated many conditional operators likely will not finish approvals or pay fees to return when the program restarts April 1, 2026. Sidewalk cafes can operate year-round, though most remain conditionally approved.

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