Outdoor dining will begin on April 1, and the city has given participating restaurants the green light to begin setting up their seating areas.
The NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) announced on Tuesday that restaurants and cafes can set up early this year as of March 25 — a sign that spring and al fresco dining is right around the corner.
“Spring is in the air, and New Yorkers are ready to enjoy dining al fresco,” DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said. “Today, we’re reminding all establishments with approvals to operate that they can begin constructing roadway setups next week so they’re ready to serve customers on April 1.”
As New Yorkers eagerly await days and nights of enjoying dinner with views of Fifth Avenue or an iced latte at a chic sidewalk cafe in SoHo, restaurant owners, and their staff will begin getting their roadway setups early to get these cozy and comfortable in time for their customers’ outdoor dining experience.
It’s a sure sign of the unofficial warm weather coming to NYC.
Two styles for outdoor dining in NYC
There are two types of outdoor dining permits in NYC: Roadway setup and sidewalk cafe. In total, 2,600 establishments have approval to operate on roadways or sidewalks, DOT officials said.
As established by the NYC Council, establishments can operate sidewalk setups year-round, while roadway dining operates seasonally, from April 1 to Nov. 29.
The opportunity for businesses to set up their outdoor dining areas early follows the new guidelines DOT announced this year that were put in place to foster cleanliness and safety.
Most notably, unlike outdoor dining in previous years, the dining areas can not be inside enclosed structures. They can, however, have a canopy or roof-top covering.
For restaurants still interested in participating in the program, DOT created a Dining Out NYC Marketplace that serves as a directory for businesses that sell or rent compliant outdoor dining set-up and services.
Meanwhile, by the season start on April 1, DOT estimates that 600 roadway dining applicants and another roughly 2,000 sidewalk applicants will be able to operate.
