Comptroller opens investigation into New York City's outdoor dining program
The comptroller is investigating why so few outdoor dining setups are operating
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- New York City Comptroller Mark Levine is investigating why so few outdoor dining setups are operating, and why so many seem stuck in city bureaucracy.
The comptroller's letter asks City Hall for a detailed explanation of the current process, the average time it takes the city to process and approve a restaurant's application for outdoor dining, staffing information and any efforts to speed up the process.
The Department of Transportation, in a statement, said it warned of the ongoing problems and that they have to be addressed with new laws from the City Council.
The outdoor dining season started April 1 with about 500 restaurants approved to operate seasonal roadway dining.
"These participation numbers show exactly what we warned about: seasonality and a lengthy, bureaucratic approval process are making it harder for restaurants to participate," the DOT said in the statement. "The City Council should act quickly to reform the outdoor dining law and remove unnecessary hurdles that lengthen the application process and deter participation."
The DOT says over 900 restaurants are currently working through the requirements of the application process and are not authorized to operate. More than 670 of those applications are on pause because the business hasn't submitted information required by the law.
The DOT says that applications aren't stuck at a specific office or agency because of lack of staffing or process, but the law requires a long, multi-step process that can stretch the approval process to several months.
The department said they want to work with the City Council on reforms that will make the process quicker and easier for businesses to take advantage of outdoor dining.
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