Overview
- At an oversight hearing, transportation officials reported only about 400 restaurants fully completed 2025 licensing, with thousands operating on conditional approvals, and all roadway setups must be removed by Nov. 29.
- Legislation led by Councilmember Lincoln Restler would restore year-round roadway dining, allow some setups to extend beyond a restaurant’s frontage, open eligibility to grocers and bodegas, and require a more user-friendly permitting process.
- Restaurant advocates said one-year upfront payments, consent fees, security deposits, and the costs of building, storing, and rebuilding seasonal structures are discouraging participation, especially outside Manhattan’s core.
- City Hall and DOT defended the program as robust compared with pre-pandemic levels and said many owners are choosing not to apply, while Council Speaker Adrienne Adams framed current rules as essentially a return to pre-pandemic practices.
- The proposed changes will not keep roadway cafes up this winter, and backers expect the new Council and Mayor-elect Mamdani’s support to shape a push for a year-round program early next year.