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Current status of outdoor dining application processing
0:03:16
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147 sec
Council Member Menin details the current status of outdoor dining application processing, highlighting significant delays and low approval rates. She emphasizes the uncertainty this creates for restaurants during peak season.
- Only 67 restaurants (less than 2% of applicants) have completed the entire application process and received revocable consent.
- DOT has issued 726 conditional approvals for roadway cafes and authorized 1,808 sidewalk cafes to continue operating while applications are pending.
- Menin expresses frustration with the delays and the impact on restaurants' ability to plan for the current season.
Julie Menin
0:03:16
Despite these concerns, local law one twenty one allowed restaurants that submitted a dining out application to DOT by the 08/03/2024 deadline to continue operating the application review during the application review process.
0:03:31
However, eight months after the application deadline, DOT struggles to review and move revocable consent applications through the process in a timely manner, basically leaving restaurants in a state of absolute uncertainty about the nature of their outdoor dining setups in peak season.
0:03:50
I cannot tell you the number of restaurants across the city that have contacted my office so incredibly frustrated about these serious delays.
0:03:59
So here we are on 04/22/2025, which is the beginning of the peak season of outdoor dining, and we should be having a robust outdoor dining program, which is what the council had intended, that provides a lifeline to our small businesses and also activates the streets.
0:04:16
However, just 67 restaurants, I repeat, just 67 restaurants, and this is coming from DOT's own data, have completed their entire outdoor dining application process and received a revocable consent to operate a sidewalk cafe or a roadway cafe.
0:04:34
This represents less than 2% of approximately 3,800 dining out NYC applications from more than 3,000 restaurants that DOT received.
0:04:45
DOT started to address this problem only weeks before the roadway dining season was set to begin on 04/01/2025 by issuing conditional approvals to a number of roadway dining setups.
0:04:56
As of yesterday, DOT provided 726 conditional approvals to restaurants to operate a roadway cafe, which would only apply to those restaurants that have made it through DOT's review process and the community board review process.
0:05:11
And I'll I'll get to later during the testimony the concerns that we are now giving community boards major backlogs because of this large delay, and that also is not equitable or fair or sensible.
0:05:21
DOT also authorized the continued operation of 1,808 sidewalk cafes while their applications are pending with the department.
0:05:32
So now we have a situation where hundreds upon hundreds of restaurants are awaiting approval and frankly do not know whether they should make the necessary investments in their outdoor setups for the current season.