12 OCTOBER 22, 2020 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
The great outdoor dining plan
Outdoor dining might one day be
considered as the program that
saved New York City’s restaurant
industry.
Aft er COVID-19 hit New York in
March, eateries across the city had
to shut down completely, or move all
dining service to takeout or delivery
only. Some closed their doors for good;
others used the limited service to eke
out a living until the arrival of outdoor
dining in June.
Has outdoor dining restored the
city’s restaurant industry to full
health? Of course not. These businesses
remained mired in debt and
weighed down by high or overdue
rents. Thousands of workers have lost
their jobs; hundreds of entrepreneurs
lost their livelihoods.
The impromptu expansion of outdoor
dining in New York did, however,
provide a lifeline to restaurants to
restart with the economy. And thousands
of eateries jumped at the chance
to make it work, using the city streets
to create seating areas and allow diners
to safely return.
The program worked so well that
EDITORIAL
THE HOT TOPIC
STORY:
City honors Kew Gardens social
worker as Mental Health Hero for supporting
New Yorkers during COVID-19
pandemic
SUMMARY:
Orkideh Yazhari, a member of the
Mental Health Service Corps at NYC
Health + Hospitals/Queens in Jamaica,
was honored as a “Mental Health Hero”
by the Mayor’s Offi ce of ThriveNYC.
REACH:
3,225 (as of 10/19/20)
ESTABLISHED 1908
Co-Publishers
VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS
JOSHUA SCHNEPS
Editor-in-Chief
ZACHARY GEWELB
Classifi ed Manager
DEBORAH CUSICK
Assistant Classifi ed Manager
MARLENE RUIZ
Reporters
ANGELICA ACEVEDO
JACOB KAYE
CARLOTTA MOHAMED
BILL PARRY
© 2020 SCHNEPS NY MEDIA, LLC.
General Publication Offi ce: 38-15 Bell Blvd.,
Bayside, NY 11361
TELEPHONE: 1-718-260-4535
FAX: 1-718-224-5441
E-MAIL: editorial@ridgewoodtimes.com
WEB SITE: www.qns.com
ON TWITTER @ridgewoodtimes
PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY
FOR 110 YEARS
COMPOSITION RESPONSIBILITY: Accuracy in receiving
ads over the telephone cannot be guaranteed. This
newspaper is responsible for only one incorrect insertion
and only for that portion of the ad in which the error
appears. It is the responsibility of the advertiser to make
sure copy does not contravene the Consumer Protection
Law or any other requirement. TIMES NEWSWEEKLY Is
Listed With The Standard Rate & Data And Is A Member
Of The New York Press Association
Outdoor dining has the potential for being part of New York City’s comeback. Photo by Dean Moses
talk began of making outdoor dining
in New York City a permanent fi xture
on the urban landscape. Fortunately,
the City Council agreed — and on
Thursday, it passed legislation moving
forward a plan to extend the program
through at least September 2021.
That means restaurants will be able
to off er outdoor dining through the
cold months of fall and winter, with
the assistance of heaters. Indoor dining
remains very limited citywide,
and depending on the spread of
COVID-19 through the winter, there’s
no guarantee it will expand anytime
soon.
More importantly, the legislation
mandates that the City Council create
a permanent outdoor dining program
beyond next September that will permit
restaurants to use roadways for
seating areas.
The benefi ts for restaurant owners
stand to be signifi cant once indoor
dining returns to full capacity. An
eatery could essentially increase their
seating areas without paying a dime
more in rent, or thousands to renovate
their premises.
With more seats in place, more
customers will come and spend their
money. That will force the restaurateurs
to hire more staff , thus creating
jobs. The increased business will
result in greater tax revenue for the
city.
In short, outdoor dining has the
potential for being part of New York’s
comeback — ushering in a new era of
enterprise, success and prosperity to
bring us back stronger than before the
pandemic.
/WWW.QNS.COM
/www.qns.com
link
/www.qns.com
link
