Outdoor dining in New York City is here to stay. (Just not in winter.)

Why it matters

Restaurant owners and diners had been waiting for advice on what outdoor dining would look like in the future.

The new rules are likely to reduce the current outdoor dining footprint, which has soared to more than 12,000 restaurants since the start of the pandemic. But it is expected to allow much more outdoor dining than before 2020.

Restaurants must be licensed by the city to eat outside and must pay fees based on their location and square footage, with higher rates in Manhattan south of 125th Street.

A spokeswoman for City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said in a statement Thursday that it was important that the outdoor dining program be “affordable, equitable and successful” and available in every borough.

Sara Lind, an executive director at Open Plans, a livable street group, said she was “relieved and excited” that the program would become permanent, saying that “New York City’s outdoor dining culture has quickly become a fixture in modern city life.” But she lamented that outdoor dining on roads would not be available in winter.

Background

During the height of the pandemic, the city allowed restaurants to open street food outlets under an emergency order.

Outdoor dining has flourished, and many New Yorkers prefer to eat outside for the atmosphere and as a precaution to avoid catching Covid-19. But the quality of the structures has varied and some residents have complained bitterly about the loss of parking spaces.

The Transportation Department will oversee the permanent outdoor dining program. According to the bill, restaurants are allowed to offer outdoor dining from 10 a.m. to midnight.

Sidewalk cafes are regulated separately from roadway cafes. City officials hope to expand the outdoor cafes, which were mostly located in Manhattan before the pandemic, and reduce the fees that restaurants that operate them must pay.

What’s next

The city council is expected to vote on the bill in June.