Advocates call for year-round outdoor dining in New York City to bolster restaurants financially
LOWER MANHATTAN, New York (WABC) -- Advocates gathered in Lower Manhattan on Friday to send the message that they want outdoor dining to be allowed year-round.
Organizers say significantly fewer restaurants will offer outdoor seating in the spring after the city made changes to its outdoor dining program.
Sara Lind, Co-Executive Director of Open Plan, acknowledged year around "roadway dining" would help restaurants financially.
"You see the inside of this restaurant (C&B Cafe), so very small space," she said. "So to break down an outdoor dining structure and find a place to store it for the winter and then put it back up in the spring. It just doesn't work for these restaurants. They'd have to rent a storage space. You know, restaurants run on incredibly thin margin don't have the money for that."
The New York City Council scaled back the year-round option in part because those dining sheds caused quality-of-life issues. But New York City Comptroller Brad Lander says a year-round program benefits the city's economics.
"We could have more jobs in the city and more economic vitality if we have more outdoor dining," Lander said.
Ali Sahim is one of those restaurant owners who would benefit as Lander said. Sahim has customers eating at tables set up right in the street outside his C&B Cafe because his place has no seating inside. The outdoor dining creates a revenue stream with more seating equaling more money.
"Our seating capacity goes up by far," Sahim said. "And we can actually afford to pay our rent."
Outdoor dining is banned in the city from December through March.
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