The New York City Council is pushing forward with a measure to allow “open restaurants” to be open year-round, drawing attention to their future. Councilmember Lincoln Ressler introduced an ordinance (Int. 1421) with this content on the 9th of last month and entered the legislative process.
This ordinance includes a provision to remove the seasonal regulation that currently requires “Roadway Cafes,” which are outdoor restaurants installed along the road, to be removed every year during the four winter months from November 30th to March 31st of the following year.
The ordinance also includes a provision to allow “Grocery Stores” to apply for licenses to operate “Sidewalk Cafes.” Currently, only restaurants can apply for Sidewalk Cafe licenses.
Councilman Ressler said, “New York City Mayor-elect Zoran Mamdani is a strong supporter of outdoor dining and will likely be more supportive of year-round operation than the Eric Adams administration,” and expressed his expectation that the ordinance will be passed early next year.
Meanwhile, New York City’s outdoor dining, which went into full effect in April of this year, is divided into Roadway Cafes, which are installed along the roadway, and Sidewalk Cafes, which are installed along the pedestrian road (sidewalk) in front of the restaurant.
Roadway Cafes can operate for eight months (10:00 a.m. to midnight) from April 1 to November 29 each year, while Sidewalk Cafes along the sidewalk can operate 24/7. The four-year license fee for an outdoor restaurant is $1,050 each, or $2,100 if applying for both a Roadway Cafe and a Sidewalk Cafe.
In addition, an ‘Annual Revocable Consent Fee’ that must be paid annually is differentially imposed depending on the area, such as Manhattan or Queens, and the size of the outdoor restaurant.