Fork In the Road For NYC's Outdoor Dining As Deadline Approaches

NEW YORK CITY, NY – The pandemic-era outdoor dining sheds that populate streets across the city may soon be a thing of the past.

Why? Earlier this year, the city decided it would no longer permit enclosed, year-round dining sheds on its streets.

So-called “roadway cafes” on city streets will be allowed for an eight-month season – April to November – with sidewalk cafes allowed year-round.

All establishments that maintain either setup must apply to the new Dining Out NYC program by the end of the day on Saturday, August 3. Scofflaws will face a fine of $500 for the first offense and $1,000 for each additional offense until the setups are removed.

So far, 1,300 establishments have applied, a Department of Transportation spokesperson told Patch.

The city’s decision to shift roadway dining from year-round to seasonal has been controversial, with some restaurateurs reportedly citing the new cost of an annual setup – and teardown – as prohibitive.

Complying with numerous other guidelines, which define how restaurants and bars may create roadway or sidewalk spaces, must also be added to the bill.

These costs don’t include city fees for the new program, which include a license fee ($1,050 or $2,100) and a “revocable consent fee,” the amount of which varies depending on the location and size of the space.

A restaurant with a modest outdoor footprint – say, 100 square feet, for example – located in a desirable corridor of Manhattan’s Upper West Side or Upper East Side, for example, would pay a roadway fee of $2,500 or a sidewalk fee of $3,100.

Want music? An additional permit would be required for “amplified sound.” And sorry, night owls, but the early birds won this round, and all operations – roadway or sidewalk – must cease at midnight.

Love ‘em or loathe ‘em, the sheds will likely soon disappear, as all establishments who apply into the new program will need to comply with the new guidelines within 30 days after the approval of their application.