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QUEENS WEEKLY, JULY 19, 2020
Jackson Heights cafe coalition petitions to
create permanent outdoor dining on 37th Ave.
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 momand
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 self-certify for sidewalk
and curbside seating, with no
application fees.
Prior to the city easing restrictions
on sidewalk seating,
restaurants had to apply for twoyear
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 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.”
Las Margaritas restaurant on 83-22 37th Ave. in Jackson Heights. Photo by Angélica Acevedo
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