NEW YORK (PIX11) -- Outdoor dining will have a different look this year.
Restaurant and cafe owners have new rules and designs to follow for structures on the road.
Dining in the roadway will run from April to Nov. Sidewalk cafes are allowed year-round.
The process for owners to apply for new permits begins on Tuesday, March 5.
Along 37th Avenue in Jackson Heights, Jimmy Lozano, and his staff at Warique are ready. They are known for Peruvian dishes and the new model structure for roadside dining.
"It's easy to clean and safer. It will attract more customers and be good for restaurant owners and neighbors," he said.
The new open design for roadway structures requires sight lines through the structure. Roofs are allowed but they cannot be enclosed. It must be cleaned weekly, including around and underneath the structure.
"Once the portal opens, owners don’t need to hire an architect to design it. They can use an easy interface and submit. There will be a review process," said NYC Chief Public Realm Officer Ya-Ting Liu.
The new permits are for four years, and owners must apply by Aug. They have 30 days to put up the new structure after approval. The old shed-like structures can stay up through the end of this year's roadside dining season in November.
"It’s going to be a big process for restaurants to transition from the pandemic-era outdoor dining system into the new Dining Out NYC program. But we will have a new program that will be much more inclusive for restaurants across the five boroughs than the old sidewalk café law, which excluded so many small businesses and neighborhoods from offering alfresco dining," said Andrew Rigie, Executive Director, of NYC Hospitality Alliance.
This was designed as a transition year and expanded the program to the five boroughs. The city council and Mayor Adams created it based on neighbors' and industry input.
"The program had to address quality of life issues and the restaurants wanted to have some flexibility," said NYC Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez.
Inspectors will look at structures and work with owners if there need to be changes as the season progresses. One fee has a sliding scale with some Manhattan locations paying more. There is a license fee of $1,050 or $2,100 for both sidewalk and roadside dining.
Some companies have created kits that can be rented or bought by owners. They are also able to create their own that follow the new rules and guidelines.
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