Al Fresco Dining Season Begins: New York City Approves 2,600 Outdoor Dining Permits.

As New York City officially entered outdoor dining season this Tuesday, the Department of Transportation (DOT) has taken bold steps to streamline processes, approving over 2600 outdoor dining permit applications.

According to the official website of the Department of Transportation, they have received more than 3400 applications for outdoor dining. So far, due to the department’s “conditional streamlining of procedures, 600 applicants for road dining and approximately 2,000 applicants for sidewalk dining have been able to operate.” The city government expects to issue more temporary permits in the coming weeks.

Last year, the city council passed a law stipulating that all street dining spaces must be approved by the Department of Transportation, community boards, and the city comptroller, a cumbersome process. Some council members even have the power to veto sidewalk dining applications in their own districts. As a result, the backlog of outdoor dining permit applications has sparked strong dissatisfaction among restaurant owners.

To expedite the process, the Department of Transportation has adopted a “conditional approval” approach to address bottlenecks by issuing temporary permits. They have conducted nearly 50 training sessions for industry professionals, distributed tens of thousands of explanatory materials to assist restaurant owners in applying for permits, and proactively contacted all applicants with incomplete documentation to help them complete the application process.

In order to make participation as easy as possible, the New York City Department of Transportation has created the New York City Outdoor Dining Marketplace as a directory for businesses selling or renting compliant outdoor dining equipment and services. Rental prices start as low as over $1,000 per month or $33 per day, offering economically viable installation options so that restaurants do not have to search for storage space when the outdoor dining season ends.

According to the New York Post, among the businesses that have obtained outdoor dining equipment permits, only seven have received outdoor liquor sales permits issued by the New York State Liquor Authority. It seems that many al fresco diners may experience the regret of “no wine, no dine.”

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