You are reading

City’s Open Restaurants Outdoor Dining Program Will Return Next Year

Curbside seating at Dawa’s in Sunnyside (Photo: Asha MacKay)

Aug. 3, 2020 By Allie Griffin

The city will bring back its open restaurants outdoor dining program next June — or even earlier, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today.

The program, which converts parts of city streets and sidewalks to dining areas, is set to expire on Oct. 31. De Blasio said the initiative will return next year, beginning June 1 or perhaps earlier in the spring.

“Expect to see that wonderful outdoor dining back next year,” he said during a morning press conference. “We may even extend it further, earlier in the spring.”

Under the initiative, restaurant owners can set up tables and seating for customers along sidewalks and curbside–where cars typically park. They can also create dining areas on select streets that close to traffic on weekends– as part of the “Open Streets: Restaurants” program.

Queens streets that close to traffic on weekends for outdoor dining (DOT)

The outdoor dining options have helped the more than 9,000 restaurants enrolled in the program keep afloat during the pandemic and gave a projected 80,000 New Yorkers their jobs back since June, de Blasio said.

“A lot of restaurants have been able to survive because of this initiative,” he said. “And a lot of people have been able to get their jobs back.”

The full street closures where roadways are turned into outdoor dining plazas on weekends, as well as curbside dining, will return next summer.

“It’s time to start a new New York City tradition,” de Blasio said in a statement. “New Yorkers deserve the chance to enjoy their meals outside next summer, and restaurants deserve the chance to continue building their businesses back.”

However it isn’t immediately clear if the expedited permit process for sidewalk and curbside dining — where restaurant owners can self-certify online at no cost — will also make a comeback in 2021.

Indoor dining, meanwhile, has been shuttered indefinitely. It was slated to reopen on July 6, but the city postponed it with no word on when it will happen.

Outdoor dining in Chinatown (DOT via Twitter)

email the author: news@queenspost.com

One Comment

Click for Comments 
David G

The outdoor dining program may return next year, but most of the bars and restaurants won’t.

Reply

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Former client sentenced for murdering prominent immigration attorney in his Flushing law office: DA

A Flushing woman was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for stabbing her immigration attorney to death in 2022, just days after he dropped her as a client, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Wednesday.

Xiaoning Zhang, 27, of Kissena Boulevard, was found guilty by a jury last month of murder in the second degree and other related crimes for fatally stabbing 66-year-old Jim Li, a prominent lawyer known for his legal work and activism during the Tiananmen Square uprising in the People’s Republic of China in 1989. Trial openings began on Sept. 9, 2024, and closings occurred on Sept. 19, 2024. The jury deliberated for one day.

DA Katz introduces Kimi, the facility dog providing comfort to Queens crime victims

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz introduced one of the newest members of her team on Wednesday as part of her office’s public information campaign during Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Kimi, a 2-year-old golden retriever/Labrador retriever, has been appointed as a facility dog to provide comfort and companionship to crime victims and witnesses. “Kimi has been an extraordinary addition to our team here at the Queens District Attorney’s Office,” Katz said. “She’s affectionate, highly trained, and has already assisted survivors and witnesses and put them at ease.”

Mets to host playoff watch parties at Citi Field

Oct. 3, 2024 By Ethan Marshall

As the New York Mets look to clinch a trip to the National League Division Series Wednesday night in Milwaukee, the team announced that beginning as early as Thursday, Oct. 3, Citi Field will be hosting watch parties of select away games during the playoffs.