WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES FEBRUARY 17, 2022 13
Extending opportunities for New York City restaurants
BY ANDREW RIGIE
When the COVID-19 pandemic
hit New York City and
devastated our restaurant
industry, the Open Restaurants outdoor
dining program launched later
in the year shielding thousands of
businesses from permanently closing,
saving about 100,000 industry
jobs — the majority of which were
held by minority and immigrant New
Yorkers — enlivening and reimagining
our streets, and bringing family
and friends safely back together aft er
months of isolation.
Nearly 12,000 businesses signed
up for the temporary emergency
outdoor dining program beginning
in June 2020. Nonetheless, thousands
of restaurants still permanently shuttered,
many are still struggling for
survival, and 65% of New York restaurants
were shut out of the Restaurant
Revitalization Fund relief fund when
the money was quickly exhausted.
The lack of adequate small business
relief has left too many local
restaurants and bars desperately in
need, all while the city’s industry is
still 75,00 jobs short compared to prepandemic
employment levels, and no
one knows when business will return
to 2019 sales levels.
Now, Mayor Adams and the new
City Council have inherited the
Open Restaurants program in its
temporary emergency status, and
it’s critical the City of New York’s
promised transition to permanency
becomes a top priority for lawmakers.
According to owners and operators
of 726 restaurants representing all
fi ve boroughs my organization, the
NYC Hospitality Alliance, recently
surveyed, 91% said permanent outdoor
dining is very important to the
future of their business, 92% said it
would allow them to hire more people
in the future, which is needed in our
city where employment growth signifi
cantly lags the rest of the nation.
And unsurprisingly, 88% said dining
alfresco is very popular among their
customers.
The emergency outdoor dining
program was launched quickly to
save restaurants and jobs in an unprecedented
crisis, and it evolved
throughout the pandemic’s crushing
waves, indoor dining restrictions,
summer heatwaves and winter
storms as a matter of restaurant sector
survival.
Still, Open Restaurants hasn’t been
a perfect system for restaurants with
changing guidelines and uneven enforcement,
and even with its extraordinary
popularity, there are valid
community concerns with outdoor
OP-ED
dining that must be addressed in a
constructive way. But, obstructing
progress of the program can’t be on
the menu.
That’s why the City Council must
approve the Open Restaurants Zoning
Text Amendment passed nearly
unanimously by the Planning Commission
last year as it will allow more
businesses to have outdoor dining
that will otherwise be restricted
when the emergency program
expires. Then, the City must pass
legislation creating the regulatory
framework for a new and improved
permanent outdoor dining program
that includes sidewalk and roadway
cafes that will be a beloved feature
of our city’s streetscape. Finally, specifi
c rules such as design guidelines,
clearance, and operating requirements
must be established.
New York City is the greatest city in
the world, and as we emerge from the
pandemic-induced doom and gloom,
we must show ourselves and the
world that we will survive, recover,
and build back smarter and stronger.
Permanent outdoor dining is a
challenging yet exciting opportunity
for our city and it should be viewed
as a catalyst for more outdoor arts
and performances, open air shops,
enhanced transportation, and containerization
of our city’s trash, as a
requisite to the city’s recovery and
rebirth. Politics, change, and progress
are hard, but I am optimistic
that it is still possible in New York
City.
Especially aft er last weekend when
I joined Mayor Adams, City Council
members and other guests for a delicious
lunch at Mario’s Restaurant on
Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, where
we discussed the future of Open
Restaurants. It was a bit chilly dining
alfresco in their outdoor café in
February, but it was heartwarming
to hear our elected leaders express
such strong support for the city’s
restaurant industry recovery and
future growth.
I hope New Yorkers and visitors
will continue to break bread while
dining alfresco as we did this past
Sunday, for many years to come.
Andrew Rigie is the executive director
of the NYC Hospitality Alliance.
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