People sit in the outdoor dining section of Caffe Reggio in New York on May 19, 2021.
Photographer: Nina Westervelt/BloombergInside the Fight Over the Future of New York City’s Outdoor Dining
Outdoor dining has been a lifeline for NYC’s restaurant industry during the pandemic. Soon, it’s going to look different.
Outdoor sheds, igloos and heated cabanas — hallmarks of New York City’s pandemic-era restaurant scene — may soon be a thing of the past.
City officials have come out in support of continuing the outdoor dining that sustained restaurants when Covid prevented people from eating inside. But complaints over trash, rats, noise and fewer parking spaces have incited a push for a more regulated approach to the outdoor structures.