Outdoor dining is set to be the new normal in New York – all year round.
Intro 31 was officially signed into law on Wednesday by Mayor Eric Adams, preserving the well-liked pandemic-era policy that has enabled eating sheds to be open all year and permitted eateries to use public space without paying a charge. The move, however, comes iwht a few significant adjustments.
In accordance with the new law, the city’s traffic department will be in charge of a program that allows year-round sidewalk dining and street cafés from April to November, when it’s hottest outside. Restaurant proprietors must submit applications for the necessary permissions, which are awarded every four years.
Roadway cafés may cost up to $25 per square foot, whereas sidewalk cafes can cost up to $31 per square foot. For restaurant operators who cannot afford the licenses or the procedure of removing the shelters for a period of time each year, the new rules may thus wind up reducing the amount of outdoor eating in the city.
On Wednesday, Adams countered criticism of the measure by claiming that it would have eliminated 100,000 jobs if outside dining had been banned.
“My number one ask of all of you who are here: Go on and eat somewhere, spend some money,” Adams said at a press conference outside the Havana Cafe, a Bronx restaurant, after signing the bill. “Find you an outdoor dining spot. I know there’s a good plant-based meal here.”
The law was passed by the City Council two days after a New York state judge ruled that the mayor could no longer routinely issue executive orders to maintain the program, causing it to fall into the mayor’s lap.
