Dining Out NYC Portal For Restaurants to Apply to Participate in New York City’s Outdoor Dining Program

Sample corner roadway setup for Dining Out NYC. Credit: DOT

Online Application Portal Makes It Simple for Small Businesses to Participate

Portal Includes Clear Guidance and Free Downloadable  Blueprints for Sidewalk and Roadway Setup Options

New York City Mayor Eric Adams today opened applications for restaurants to apply for and participate in Dining Out NYC — the city’s permanent outdoor dining program. The online application portal will serve as an easy access point for restaurants to apply to participate in the program, understand the guidelines that the program establishes, and download sample blueprints from the Dining Out NYC Set-Up Menu for how an outdoor setup will need to look.

Dining Out NYC represents one of the most significant efforts of the last decade to reimagine the city’s streetscape by creating vibrant public spaces that improve quality of life for New Yorkers while simultaneously continuing to accelerate the city’s economic recovery by supporting workers and small restaurant owners. The new program draws on lessons learned from the temporary outdoor dining program created during the COVID-19 pandemic, which saved 100,000 jobs across the city but led to quality-of-life issues as a subset of restaurant owners were unable to maintain loosely-regulated outdoor dining setups.

“We’re getting outdoor dining right, getting sheds down, getting trash off our streets, and fundamentally changing what it feels like to be outside in New York City,” said Mayor Adams. “The portal we’re opening today will make it easy for restaurants to participate in Dining Out NYC, build setups that work for diners, owners, neighbors, and our city, and continue to hire workers and serve satisfied customers. We’ve locked in the best parts of the pandemic program and done away with the worst, and I can’t wait to dine out this summer!” 

User-Friendly Application Portal Opens

Today, the administration launched a user-friendly online portal to streamline the application process for restaurants to participate in Dining Out NYC. A restaurant currently participating in the temporary program must apply to be a part of the permanent program by August 3, 2024 to continue operating throughout the approval process. Restaurants participating in the temporary program that do not apply by August 3 must remove their current outdoor dining setups.

Through an extensive outreach campaign, DOT is notifying all restaurants currently participating in the temporary program to submit applications through the online portal for the permanent program. All restaurants, even those that did not participate in the temporary program, are welcome to apply for Dining Out NYC. A restaurant’s outdoor dining setup must comply with the program’s design requirements within 30 days of their application approval. On this timeline, the first approved Dining Out NYC setups will hit New York City streets in the summer of 2024.

The Set-Up Menu: Accessible Design Guidelines and Sample Blueprints

The Dining Out NYC Set-Up Menu will serve as a valuable resource for restaurants, offering guidance on outdoor dining regulations and blueprints for setup options. Under Dining Out NYC, outdoor dining setups will use lightweight materials that are easily movable and visible on the street, and the setups will preserve clear paths on sidewalks and emergency roadway lanes, as well as continue to provide accessibility for people with physical disabilities. Restaurants will secure tables, chairs, and other furnishings within their setups during non-operating hours. The setups themselves will include anti-rat mitigations and will be able to withstand inclement weather.

In conjunction with the New York City Economic Development Corporation, the city retained WXY, a planning, urban design and architecture studio, and SITU, a research, design and fabrication firm, to develop four prototype roadway cafe setups. Each prototype is tailored to a different diverse street context and showcases the envisioned aesthetic of Dining Out NYC. The Dining Out NYC Set-Up Menu outlines best practices utilized by the different prototypes, and the plans for each prototype are available for download. 

Corner Setup

The corner setup showcased includes an aluminum barrier with marine plywood sheathing, an aluminum floor structure with wood paver infills, an overhead covering with wood posts and fabric canopy, string lighting overhead, rechargeable table lights, a storage bench, and removable panels. 

Mid-Block Setup

The mid-block setup showcased includes an aluminum barrier with marine plywood sheathing, an aluminum floor structure, a rigid overhead canopy made with aluminum and rigid polycarbonate panels, an electrical connection to the restaurant to support a fan, table lights, screening wood slats panels, and integrated bench seating to save space. 

Floating Parking Lane Setup

The floating parking lane setup showcased includes a barrier with marine plywood cladding; an aluminum floor structure with marine plywood tiles and a removable, rubber accessibility ramp; a rigid overhead canopy made of aluminum and vestibule panel covering; planters for greenery throughout; a guard made of vestibule panels; and chain link enclosure. 

Steep Street Setup

The steep street setup showcased includes an aluminum barrier with sheet metal cladding, a perforated square steel tubing floor structure with floorboards, a metal accessibility ramp and steps, an overhead canopy with an aluminum structure and retractable fabric, battery-operated table lights, planters for greenery, and integrated bench seating to save space.