NYC unveils new permanent outdoor dining rules: What to expect

NEW YORK CITY - NYC unveiled new rules for outdoor dining in an attempt to appease New Yorkers who've complained about the now-ubiquitous bulky sheds on city streets.

The city launched a portal on Tuesday to apply for Dining Out NYC, a new permanent outdoor dining program, NYC Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement.

"We’re getting outdoor dining right, getting sheds down, getting trash off our streets and fundamentally changing what it feels like to be outside in New York City," Adams said.

Outdoor dining was a part of the pandemic that many people actually liked — made possible by streetside dining sheds that popped up around New York City and allowed many restaurants to stay in business when they couldn’t have diners inside.

Four years later, many still like the sheds and restaurants want to keep them, but others say there is no longer a need for them. Some have raised concerns like increased noise and congestion, loss of street space, and argued that some are dilapidated, abandoned structures that are eyesores.

People walk past an empty restaurant outdoor dining shed on Christopher Street in the West Village on March 5, 2023, in New York City. (Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)

Restaurants currently enrolled in the temporary program must submit their application to be in the permanent program by Aug. 3. Restaurants participating in the temporary program that do not apply by Aug. 3 must remove their current outdoor dining setups. 

How will permanent outdoor dining set-ups look?

Dining Out NYC offered best practices and different prototypes for setting up outdoor dining.

The first approved Dining Out NYC setups will hit New York City streets in the summer of 2024.

See the sample blueprints below:

Corner roadway setup

Mid-block set up

Floating Parking Lane Setup 

Steep Street Setup 

"The portal we’re opening today will make it easy for restaurants to participate in Dining Out NYC, build setups that work for diners, owners, neighbors, and our city, and continue to hire workers and serve satisfied customers. We’ve locked in the best parts of the pandemic program and done away with the worst, and I can’t wait to dine out this summer!" Adams said.

All restaurants, even those that did not participate in the temporary program, are welcome to apply for Dining Out NYC.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.