JACKSON HEIGHTS CAFE COALITION PETITIONS TO
CREATE PERMANENT OUTDOOR DINING ON 37TH AVE.
Las Margaritas restaurant on 83-22 37th Ave. in Jackson Heights. Photo by Angélica Acevedo
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
The 37th Avenue Sidewalk
Cafe Coalition wants to make
outdoor dining a fixture
along Jackson Heights’ commercial
corridor.
The coalition created a
petition to garner support for
their call to the city to create
permanent outdoor dining
permits that would “allow
food service establishments
to serve food and beverages
in an approved open space.”
Alfonso Quiroz, the founder
of the 37th Avenue Sidewalk
Cafe Coalition, said he’s
gathered 300 signatures on
the online and print petitions
so far.
“There used to be discussions
about this years ago but
it never happened,” Quiroz
said. “It would be ideal for
businesses here, but permit
costs are a lot, and it doesn’t
include other costs like building
structure and architecture
costs. These are very
small businesses. They’re
mom-and-pops. It was too
much for them even before
the pandemic.”
Although outdoor dining
is still in its early stages,
Quiroz believes the city
should reduce the fees it had
in place prior to implementing
Open Restaurants. The
Open Restaurants program
allows restaurants to selfcertify
for sidewalk and curbside
seating, with no application
fees.
Prior to the city easing
restrictions on sidewalk seating,
restaurants had to apply
for two-year license fees of
$500, which doesn’t include
other fees like a $1,500 security
deposit and application
fee.
Quiroz said that while the
fees alone present challenges
for small business owners,
some mom-and-pop shops in
Jackson Heights also have
a difficult time applying for
the permits.
“We want to cut through
the red tape that exists now,”
Quiroz said. “The city should
make it easier and accessible
for people who do not speak
English — but it isn’t even a
language barrier issue, it’s
that most of our business
owners don’t have the technology
to access the forms to
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.10 COM | JULY 17-JULY 23, 2020
fill out. They’re usually trying
to access them on their
phones.”
For many restaurants and
cafes, outdoor dining has presented
a way to sustain their
business during the COVID-
19 pandemic. But without indoor
dining — which has been
postponed indefinitely due to
spikes of coronavirus cases
in other parts of the country
— and added safety measures
to prevent the further spread
of the virus, there’s still a lot
of barriers for food establishments
in the time of COVID.
Open Restaurants will
continue until the fall. The
city even combined Open Restaurants
with Open Streets,
to help restaurant corridors
in the five boroughs have
more space for seating right
on the street.
When asked about 37th
Avenue Sidewalk Cafe Coalition’s
petition, a spokesperson
for the Department
of Small Business Services
pointed to how they are currently
working to enlist as
many bars and restaurants
to the city’s outdoor dining
programs, training city employees
to distribute updated
guidance to encourage and
enforce restaurant compliance,
and partnering with
local businesses to distribute
personal protective equipment.
“The outdoor dining program
enlivens our commercial
corridors and provides
businesses with a much-needed
opportunity to generate
further revenue while social
distancing,” the spokesperson
stated. “We are increasing
our efforts to ensure more
restaurants participate in the
Open Restaurant program.”
But come winter, it’s still
uncertain what dining will
look like. That’s why Quiroz
is calling on City Council to
look ahead.
“We want this to be a catalyst
for a larger conversation,
so the city allows sidewalk
seating next spring,” Quiroz
said.
Jackson Heights Councilman
Daniel Dromm told QNS
he supports the idea.
“Many of these businesses
are immigrant owned and
were just getting by to begin
with before COVID,” Dromm
said. “Having outdoor dining
areas on 37th Avenue will
help them moving forward,
and it’s just great for the
community. It’s wonderful to
see.”
Dromm said fellow Council
member Carlina Rivera is
working on keeping the program
as is for next year, and
has support from Speaker
Corey Johnson.
“We’re pushing the mayor
and DOT to get on board,”
Dromm said.
While Quiroz continues
to walk up and down 37th Avenue
collecting signatures to
present to the City Council
in the fall, he’s also giving
out thousands of face masks
thanks to a partnership with
the Queens Chamber of Commerce.
“Thirty-seventh Avenue
really is a lifeline for us,”
Quiroz said. “The majority
of our shops are small businesses,
and they got hit very
hard by COVID-19. We want
to help them survive … because
they hire locals and it’s
good for the community. We
also want to give residents an
option to eat out safely.”