Outdoor Dining in New York City: Research and News Roundup

A comprehensive guide with published content related to outdoor dining in New York City, including safety measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, City policies and their effects on restaurants, and community responses to the proliferation of outdoor dining structures on city streets.

In the News

• This Is NYC’s Fanciest Outdoor Dining Shed (New York Post); August 6, 2022
• Opponents of Outdoor Dining Renew Fight Against Sheds (New York Times); August 4, 2022
• NYC’s Rat Problem Is Getting Worse as Calls to Cut Back Outdoor Dining Intensify (NY Daily News); August 3, 2022
• NYC Outdoor Dining Target of New Lawsuit (NBC New York); August 1, 2022
• Andrew Rigie Navigates the Future of Outdoor Dining in NYC (Spectrum News); August 1, 2022
• NYC Council Approves Zoning Amendment in Move Toward Permanent Outdoor Dining (6sqft); July 25, 2022
• Permanent Open Restaurant Plans Have Been on Hold for Months (Crain’s New York Business); July 22, 2022
• Battle Brews Over Outdoor Seating on Billionaires Row in Midtown Manhattan (NBC New York); July 7, 2022
• Eyesores and Confusion as City Restaurateurs Wait for Concrete Outdoor Dining Plan; June 14, 2022
• West New York Amends Outdoor Dining Regulations (Hudson Reporter); May 12, 2022
• Outdoor Dining Saved Restaurants, but Making It Permanent Is Complicated (Wall Street Journal); April 3, 2022
• The Dining Shed—Soon to Be Banned in NYC—Awakened a Sense of What’s Possible With the City Street (The Counter); March 24, 2022
• Inside the Fight Over the Future of New York City’s Outdoor Dining (Bloomberg); March 23, 2022
• There Is a Solution for Abandoned Dining Sheds (Tribeca Citizen)There Is a Solution for Abandoned Dining Sheds (Tribeca Citizen); March 4, 2022
• The Future of Outdoor Dining in NYC Will Feature ‘Roadway Cafes,’ but No More Dining Sheds (Gothamist); February 15, 2022
• 91% Of NYC Restaurants Say Permanent Outdoor Dining Is ‘Very Important’ to Future Survival (Restaurant Dive); February 14, 2022
• NYC Weighs the Future of Outdoor Dining (PYMNNTS); February 9, 2022
• Sheds May Get the Boot Under City’s Proposed Outdoor Dining Plan (Spectrum News); February 8, 2022
• 9 in 10 NYC Restaurants Say Futures Rely on Permanent Outdoor Dining. But Will It Stay? (SI Live); February 8, 2022
• New York Considers Making Outdoor Dining a Permanent Fixture (Reuters); February 8, 2022
• Outdoor Dining Under Fire: Advocates Want Equity at the Curb, Not Parking (Streets Blog NYC); February 7, 2022
• Community Boards Grapple for More Say in NYC’s Permanent Outdoor Dining Program (Eater); December 20, 2021
• ‘Their Hands Would Go Purple’: New York Restaurants Brace for Second Winter of Outdoor Dining (The Guardian); December 18, 2021
• The Cold Is Coming. Will New Yorkers Still Eat Outdoors? (New York Times); December 2, 2021
• NYC Takes Major Step Toward Making Outdoor Dining Permanent (Gothamist); November 16, 2021
• NYC’s Permanent Outdoor Dining Plan Meets More Local Resistance (Eater); November 11, 2021
• Dining Sheds Saved N.Y.C. Could They Destroy It? (New York Times); November 5, 2021
• New York City Residents Push Back Against a Permanent Open Restaurants Program (nycfoodpolicy.org); October 28, 2021
• New NYC Rules Banning Propane Cast Chill on Outdoor Dining Scene This Winter (New York Post); October 21, 2021
• NYC to Reinstate Ban on Propane Heaters for Outdoor Dining (Spectrum News); October 21, 2021
• De Blasio Orders Restaurants to Tear Down Unused Outdoor Dining Structures ASAP (Eater); October 19, 2021
• NYC Locals Sue to Block Permanent Expanded Outdoor Dining (New York Post); October 19, 2021
• Use ‘Em or Lose ’Em: Mayor Says NYC Will Yank Away Unused Outdoor Dining Areas, Restore Parking (amNY); October 18, 2021
• NYC Wants Your Help Improving Outdoor Dining Designs & Rules (Gothamist); October 6, 2021
• Outdoor Dining Is Spreading In NYC, But Not Everywhere (Gothamist); August 9, 2021
• The Pandemic Gave New York City ‘Open Streets.’ Will They Survive? (New York Times); August 9, 2021
• New Yorkers Are Packing Community Board Meetings to Oppose Outdoor Dining (Eater); July 21, 2021
• “This Isn’t Paris!” East Village Community Board Gets Heated Over Outdoor Dining (Gothamist); July 14, 2021
• Outdoor Dining is Here to Stay… For Now (nycfoodpolicy.org); July 12, 2021
• Cuomo Approves Outdoor Dining on Sidewalks & Streets for Another Year (Gothamist); July 8, 2021
• Cuomo Extends Relaxed Outdoor Dining Regulations for Another Year (Eater); July 8, 2021
• City Officials Attempt to Wrangle a Permanent Outdoor Dining Program for NYC (Eater); July 8, 2021
• Meals Vs. Wheels: Restaurants Blocking Bus Lanes Get Little Direction From City (The City); June 20, 2021
• State To Lift Outdoor Dining Curfew, Ban on Bar Seating (Crain’s New York Business); April 28, 2021
• Road to Reopening: Curfew For New York Restaurants & Bars Extended, Outdoor Dining Restrictions Eased in Connecticut (CBS New York); April 14, 2021
• Bill Making Open Streets Permanent in NYC Passes City Council With Some Naysayers (amNY); April 9, 2021
• Outdoor Dining Structures Could Aid Restaurant Recovery Post-COVID: de Blasio (amNY); April 6, 2021
• Earlier Restart to NYC Indoor Dining Ahead of Valentine’s Day, Cuomo Announces (amNY); February 8, 2021
• When Dinner Is Outdoors, New Rules Apply (New York Times); January 23, 2021
• Bernie Sanders Inauguration Meme Finds its Way Into NYC’s Outdoor Dining Scene (Eater); January 21, 2021
• NYC Restaurants Demand More Clarity Over Outdoor Dining Regulations (Eater); December 28, 2020
• In a Year Like No Other, New Yorkers Enjoy Rare Christmas Dinner Outside (Spectrum News); December 25, 2020
• NY State Says Open Windows In Outdoor Dining Structures Are Not Enough. Will the City Enforce It? (Gothamist); December 24, 2020
• To Pee or Not To Pee? City, State Reverse Course on Outdoor Dining Bathroom Use (Pix11); December 18, 2020
• How New Yorkers Want to Change the Streetscape for Good (New York Times); December 18, 2020
• Rule Reversal: Outdoor Diners Can Go Inside Restaurant to Use the Bathroom (Spectrum News); December 18, 2020
• New Rule Banning New York City Outdoor Diners From Using Restaurant Bathrooms Gets Overturned (amNY); December 18, 2020
• NY Backtracks on Restaurant-Bathroom Ban Amid New Outdoor Dining Restrictions (Pix11); December 18, 2020
• Cuomo Clarifies That “Of Course” Outdoor Diners Can Use Restaurant Bathrooms (Gothamist); December 18, 2020
• You’re Not A Real New Yorker Until You’ve Dined Outdoors During a Snowstorm (Gothamist); December 17, 2020
• City Lifts Temporary Ban on Streetside Outdoor Dining as Snow Subsides (Eater); December 17, 2020
• NYC Clarifies What Outdoor Dining Structures Should Look Like (Pix11); December 17, 2020
• NYC to Ban Roadside Outdoor Dining Temporarily Due to Snowstorm (Eater); December 15, 2020
• NYC Declares “Snow Alert” And Suspends Outdoor Street Dining Starting Wednesday (Gothamist); December 15, 2020
• As Indoor Dining Shuts Down, NYC Outdoor Dining to be Restricted Wednesday Due to Snow Storm (Pix11); December 14, 2020
• What NYC Restaurants Need to Do With Their Outdoor Dining Setups on Snow Days (Eater); December 14, 2020
• City Issues New Guidelines for Outdoor Dining and Snow Removal (Gothamist); December 12, 2020
• Enclosed Outdoor Dining Setups Could Be Cause for Concern, NYC Health Experts Say (Eater); November 9, 2020
• I Ate Dinner Outside On a 43-Degree Night… Will You? (Gothamist); November 4, 2020
• Cheers! City Council Passes Permanent Plan for New York Outdoor Dining (amNY); October 15, 2020
• City Council Votes to Extend Outdoor Dining Until September 2021 (Spectrum News); October 15, 2020
• Cold Comfort: NYC Outdoor Dining to Remain Through at Least 2021 (New York Post); October 15, 2020
• City Issues Guidance on Heaters for Restaurants In Outdoor Dining Program (Spectrum News); October 14, 2020
• People with Disabilities Fear That Permanent Outdoor Dining Will Make Inaccessible Cities Even Worse (The Counter); October 12, 2020
• Restaurants Can Check If They Fall In NYC’s Shutdown Zones Using This Map (Eater); October 8, 2020
• NYC Wants Your Help Improving Outdoor Dining Designs & Rules (Gothamist); October 6, 2021
• Mayor de Blasio Won’t Be Dining Indoors Tonight (Eater); September 30, 2020
• De Blasio: NYC Outdoor Dining Will Become “Permanent and Year-Round” (Gothamist); September 25, 2020
• Everything to Know About NYC’s Permanent Outdoor Dining Plan (Eater); September 25, 2020
• Outdoor Dining in NYC Will Become Permanent, Even in Winter (New York Times); September 25, 2020
• NYC Will Close Some Streets on Weekdays to Give Restaurants, Patrons More Room for Outdoor Dining (NY Daily News); September 16, 2020
• Outdoor Dining in NYC ‘Should Become Permanent’ Mayor de Blasio Says (Eater); September 15, 2020
• Open Streets and Open Restaurants Expand with New Locations (Spectrum News); September 12, 2020
• Mayor de Blasio Announces Six More ‘Open Streets’ for Outdoor Dining (New York Post); August 28, 2020
• The City Opens Six More Streets for Outdoor Dining in Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan (Gothamist); August 28, 2020
• Outdoor Dining Plan Could Be Reheated For Winter, de Blasio Says (New York Patch); August 27, 2020
• Three People Injured After Driver Crashes into Upper East Side Outdoor Dining Area (Gothamist); August 25, 2020
• Gov. Cuomo Mulls Ending Outdoor Dining as NYC Restaurants’ Frustrations Grow (Restaurant Dive); August 21, 2020
• NYC Blocks Off 21 More Locations for Expanded Outdoor Dining (Eater); August 14, 2020
• 100 New Yorkers on the New Rules of Outdoor Dining (New York Magazine); August 6, 2020
• Outdoor Dining Will Return Next Year, Mayor Says; August 3, 2020
• 105 New York Restaurants and Bars Cited For Social-Distancing Violations Over the Weekend (Eater); July 27, 2020
• New Plan Pushes to Make Outdoor Dining Permanent (Crain’s New York Business); July 27, 2020
• NYC Lawmaker Wants to Make Outdoor Dining Permanent to Help Struggling Restaurants (Eater); July 20, 2020
• De Blasio Extends, and Expands, Outdoor Dining in NYC (Grub Street); July 17, 2020
• Night 2 of Open Restaurants on Open Streets in NYC (Pix11); July 4, 2020
• Reopen NYC: Outdoor Dining Shifts Into High Gear in New York City in Time for the Holiday Weekend; July 4, 2020
• Outdoor Dining Extends Past Curb at 22 Areas Citywide (Spectrum News); July 4, 2020
• NYC Opens 22 Streets to Expand Outdoor Dining Options (Pix11); July 2, 2022
• NYC Will Not Allow Indoor Dining In Phase 3 (Gothamist); July 1, 2020
• Reopen NYC: New York City to Allow Additional Space for Outdoor Dining (ABC New York); June 27, 2020
• New York City Is Finally Eating Out Again – but Al Fresco, for Now (amNY); June 23, 2020
• A Guide To Phase 2 Outdoor Dining: Rules, Etiquette & Advice From An Epidemiologist (Gothamist); June 22, 2020
• Open Restaurants Plan Paves Way for Outdoor Dining (Crain’s New York Business); June 22, 2020
• NYC Officially Opens for Outdoor Dining on Monday (Eater); June 18, 2020
• NYC to Enter Phase 2 Reopening Monday with Expanded Outdoor Dining (New York Post); June 18, 2020
• NYC Restaurants to Open with Outdoor Seating as Phase 2 Begins Monday (Pix11); June 18, 2020
• NYC May Enter Second Phase of Reopening Next Week, but No Word Yet on Outdoor Dining (Eater); June 17, 2020
• ‘Impossible Situation’: Restaurants Press City Hall for Outdoor Dining Details (Crain’s New York Business); June 11, 2020
• Expanded Outdoor Dining in Full Effect in New York City (Spectrum News); July 7, 2020
• City Sets up Plans to Help Restaurants Establish Outdoor Seating During Reopening Process (amNY); June 4, 2020
• NYC Sets July for Outdoor Dining, With Parking-Spot Tables (Bloomberg); June 4, 2020
• NYC Finally Unveils a More Ambitious Outdoor Dining Plan (Eater); June 4, 2020
• Here’s The Plan To Bring Outdoor Dining Back To NYC (Gothamist); June 4, 2020
• Cuomo: Restaurants Allowed to Reopen with Outdoor Dining in Phase 2 (CBS New York); June 4, 2020
• City Council Holds Hearing, Moving Forward on Outdoor Dining in Phase 2 (Strong Buzz); June 4, 2020
• Outdoor Dining Will Be Allowed In Phase 2 Of Reopening (Gothamist); June 3, 2020
• 7 Key Takeaways From New York’s New Outdoor Dining Rules (Eater); June 3, 2020
• City Council Introduces Outdoor Dining Plan For Reopening (Gothamist) May 29, 2020
• New Bill Introduced by City Council Allows Outdoor Dining on Sidewalks, Streets (amNY); May 28, 2020
• City Council Introduces Outdoor Dining Bill Following Complaints of Mayor’s Sloth Pace (Eater); May 28, 2020
• NYC Council Introduces Outdoor Dining Legislation (Pix11); May 28, 2020
• Mystic Pizza Granted First Permit to Use State-Owned Space For Outdoor Dining (NBC New York); May 23, 2020
• Restaurant Owners, Advocates Call for Expansion of Outdoor Dining to Aid in City’s Economic Recovery (Pix11); May 21, 2020
• Manhattan Borough President Throws Support Behind Expanded Outdoor Dining Options (Eater); May 20, 2020
• NYC Electeds Demand Al Fresco Dining on Open Streets (New York Patch); May 20, 2020
• City Council Speaker Signals a Serious Outdoor Dining Plan Is in the Works for NYC (Eater); May 18, 2020
• NYC May Allow Restaurants To Use Street Space For Dining During Pandemic (Gothamist); May 12, 2020

Opinion

• Despite Its Flaws, the City Council’s Outdoor Dining Proposal Deserves to Pass (Washington Square News); April 15, 2022
• Do You Want Outdoor Dining to Stay After the Pandemic? (Hospitality Net); April 7, 2022
• Save the Sheds! Dining Sheds Have Improved My Neighborhood Immensely (NY Daily News); May 10, 2022
• Shed a Little Light: NYC Should Keep Outdoor Dining but Make Structures Better (NY Daily News); February 10, 2022
• NYC Restaurants Are Still on the Brink (NY Daily News); February 8, 2022
• Eating Indoors Is Safe — It’s Time to End NYC’s ‘Open Restaurants’ Eyesores (New York Post); February 6, 2022
• Support California’s Restaurants with Consistent Outdoor Dining Rules (Times of San Diego); January 18, 2022
• Keep Outdoor Dining, but Make It Work Better (NY Daily News); December 21, 2021
• Should New York City Keep Outdoor Dining? (New York Times); November 17, 2021
• Outdoor Dining Is Good for New York (NY Daily News); November 10, 2021
• Off With Their Sheds! An Outdoor Dining Rant (NY Daily News); October 14, 2021
• As NYC Officials Weigh Outdoor Dining Rules, Listen to Restaurants (City Limits); October 6, 2021
• Should Those Sidewalk Dining Sheds Stay or Go? (New York Times); August 1, 2021
• Bureaucrat’s Restaurants Killing NYC’s Restaurants with Arbitrary Outdoor-Dining Rules (New York Post); November 18, 2020
• NYC Schools Can Learn From ‘Open Streets’ & ‘Open Restaurants’ (City Limits); September 4, 2020

Peer-Reviewed Journals

• Customer Satisfaction With Restaurants Service Quality During COVID-19 Outbreak: A Two-Stage Methodology (Technology in Society); August 2022
• Restaurant Hygiene Attributes and Consumers’ Fear of COVID-19: Does Psychological Distress Matter? (Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services); July 2022
• Italians’ Behavior When Dining Out: Main Drivers for Restaurant Selection and Customers Segmentation (International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science); June 2022
• Consumers’ Dining Behaviors During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Application of the Protection Motivation Theory and the Safety Signal Framework (Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management); June 2022
• Consumers’ Threat and Coping Appraisals of In-Restaurant Dining During a Pandemic–the Moderating Roles of Conflicting Information and Trust-In-Science and Scientists (International Journal of Hospitality Management); May 2022
• Diner’s Sustainable Behavior: Differences Between Sustainable Behaviors of Casual and Fine Dining Consumers (Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality & Tourism); May 2022
• Evaluation of Ventilation, Indoor Air Quality, and Probability of Viral Infection in an Outdoor Dining Enclosure, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene (Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene); April 2022
• New Insights Into the Measurement Model of a New Scale for Evaluating Restaurant Service Quality During Major Infectious Disease Outbreaks (International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management); April 2022
• Canadian Consumers’ Dining Behaviors During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Implications for Channel Decisions in the Foodservice Industry (Sustainability); April 2022
• Smart Dining, Smart Restaurant, and Smart Service Quality (SSQ) (International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management); April 2022
• The Pandemic’s Effects on Customer-To-Customer Engagement in Hospitality Consumption: A Multi-Country Investigation (International Journal of Hospitality Management); April 2022
• On the Use of Ambient Odors to Influence the Multi Sensory Experience of Dining (International Journal of Gastronomy and Sciences); March 2022
• Filet Mignon: It’s What’s for Dinner? COVID-19 Impacts on the Relative Wholesale Prices of Beef Cuts (Agricultural and Applied Economics Association Choices); March 2022
• Trends in Alcohol Consumption in Relation to the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Country Analysis (International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science); March 2022
• Ethnic Restaurants’ Outdoor Signage: The Effect of Colour and Name on Consumers’ Food Perceptions and Dining Intentions (British Food Journal); March 2022
• COVID-19 Risk Perception and Restaurant Utilization After Easing In-Person Restrictions (Food Policy); February 2022
• An Exploratory Study of Changes in Consumer Dining Out Behavior Before and During COVID-19 (Journal of Foodservice Business Research); February 2022
• The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Restaurant Resilience: Lessons, Generalizations, and Ideas for Future Research (Service Science); February 2022
• A Fuzzy Collaborative Intelligence Approach to Group Decision-Making: A Case Study of Post-COVID-19 Restaurant Transformation (Cognitive Computation); January 2022
• High-End Restaurants During COVID-19: The Beginning of a New Fine-Dining Era? (Case Based Research in Tourism, Travel, Hospitality and Events); January 2022
• Investigating the Effects of the Outbreak of COVID-19 on Perishable Food Supply Chains: An Empirical Study Using PLS-SEM (The International Journal of Logistics Management); December 2021
• Creating Supportive Eating Places: A Systematic Review of Food Service Initiatives (Health Promotion International); October 2021
• Dine in or Take Out? Trends on Restaurant Service Demand Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic (SSRN); October 2021
• Constructing a Food Retail Environment That Encourages Healthy Diets in Cities: The Contribution of Local-Level Policy Makers and Civil Society (The International Journal of Sociology of Agriculture and Food); October 2021
• Barriers and Facilitators to Achieving Food Security During the COVID-19 Pandemic (Preventive Medicine Reports); September 2021
• Mask Use in Community Settings in the Context of COVID-19: A Systematic Review of Ecological Data (eClinicalMedicine); August 2021
• Delivering the Multisensory Experience of Dining-Out, for Those Dining-In, During the COVID Pandemic (Frontiers in Psychology); July 2021
• COVID-19 Leads to Dramatic Changes in the Food Retail Environment in New York City: May–July 2020 (Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health); July 2021
• Hope, Fear, and Consumer Behavioral Change Amid Covid‐19: Application of Protection Motivation Theory (International Journal of Consumer Studies); May 2021
• Persistence of Consumer Lifestyle Choices: Evidence from Restaurant Delivery During COVID-19 (Columbia Business School Research Paper); April 2021
• The Accountability Process During the Time of COVID-19 Pandemic and the Emerging Role of Non-profit Associations (Academy of Strategic Management Journal); April 2021
• The Role of On-Demand Delivery Platforms in Restaurants (SSRN); March 2021
• Pivot! How the Restaurant Industry Adapted During COVID-19 Restrictions (International Hospitality Review); February 2021
• Restaurants Industry in the COVID-19 Era: Challenge or Opportunity? (Strategic Innovative Marketing and Tourism in the COVID-19 Era); February 2021
• COVID-19 and Instagram: Digital Service Innovation in Top Restaurants (Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2021); January 2021
• Research on Two-Level Price-Fluctuation Supply Chain Ordering Strategy Problem (Discrete Dynamics in Nature and Society); March 2020

Podcasts

• City Is Overrun by Bike Lanes. Now They Want Them on the West Side Highway. (Mark Simone); August 8, 2022
• Keys to the Restaurant Industry’s Revival (The Food Institute Podcast); April 27, 2022
• Boston’s Outdoor Dining Saga and the Massachusetts Restaurant Industry’s Battle to Recover (New England Weekend); April 2, 2022
• Lending a Hand to the Restaurant Industry (After All Things); March 16, 2022
• Outdoor Dining Vestibules – What We’ve Learned and How to Fill Your Chairs (Waiting on Fries); February 28, 2022
• Is Outdoor Dining Here to Stay? (Off Topic/On Politics); February 11, 2022
• Outdoor Dining Spaces are the New Opportunity (Restaurant Rockstars Podcast); July 30, 2021
• Let’s Go Out: Dining Al Fresco (You Won’t Believe What I Ate Last Night); June 1, 2021
• Where do Restaurants Go From Here? (Women Who Travel); February 3, 2021
• What Happens to Outdoor Dining in the Winter? (Eater’s Digest); September 25, 2020
• Should We Be Eating Out Right Now? (Eater’s Digest); July 17, 2020

Books

• Improving Access to Outdoor Dining Opportunities: Analyzing the Constraints of LA AI Fresco, by Madeline Brozen (2022)
• The Next Supper: The End of Restaurants as We Know Them and What Comes After, by Corey Mintz (2021)
• Delivering the Digital Restaurant: Your Roadmap to the Future of Food, by Meredith Sandland & Carl Orsbourne (2021)
• The Business Side of Restaurants: How Intelligent Restaurant Business Entrepreneurs & Investors Can Lead, Win and Make More Money in Life, by Clifford K. Bramble, Jr. (2021)