WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES OCTOBER 1, 2020 3
Outdoor dining to be permitted year-round
BY ALEJANDRA O'CONNELL-DOMENECH
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
The city’s Open Restaurants Initiative, which
allows for restaurants to serve customers
on sidewalk and curb space, will be made
permanent.
During an interview with WNYC host Brian
Lehrer, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the
extension of outdoor dining, which will now be
permitted year-round.
“I want us to go for the gold here,” de Blasio told
Lehrer. “I really want us to take this model and
make it a part of the life of New York City for years
and generations to come.”
Restaurants can now extend their seating past
the front of adjacent storefronts if neighboring
businesses agree to it, de Blasio added. Restaurants
that want to better heat outdoor dining
spaces by enclosing them may do so but must keep
capacity at 25 percent. Conversely, restaurants or
bars that want to host outdoor dining in winter
must keep spaces “more open” to allow for better
airflow, de Blasio said.
Outdoor dining, which started in response
to the coronavirus pandemic, was set to end on
Oct. 31. It’s unclear exactly how many businesses
have closed in the six months since the pandemic
reached New York City but some estimate that
over 1,000 bars and restaurants have permanently
closed since March.
De Blasio claims that the initiative has saved
over 100,000 jobs in the industry now that 10,355
Photo by Dean Moses
bars and restaurants are participating in the
program, according to the NYC Open Restaurants
tracker.
The city’s Open Street program, which closes off
street blocks to vehicular traffic, will also become
permanent.
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