Roadway outdoor dining is back in NYC for 2026, but it's only a slice of what it once was

Key Points:

• New York City's roadside outdoor dining program, Dining Out NYC, has approved about 500 setups for the 2026 season, with another 1,300 restaurants permitted to operate year-round sidewalk cafes, numbers comparable to 2025 but far below the 8,000 participants during the peak COVID-19 emergency program.
• The original emergency program allowed year-round, free, and minimally restricted outdoor dining sheds, which helped restaurants survive the pandemic but faced criticism for taking up parking and attracting pests; it was replaced in autumn 2024 by a more restrictive, seasonal program with costly and complex application requirements.
• Many restaurants are struggling with the current multi-stage approval process, resulting in only about 700 of the 1,300 sidewalk cafes having fully approved licenses, while others operate under conditional approvals amid a backlog.
• City officials, including Council Speaker Julie Menin and Mayor Zohran Mamdani, have pledged to restore year-round outdoor dining sheds and simplify the approval process, with DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn expressing support and commitment to working with the City Council on reforms.
• Industry leaders like Andrew Rigie of the NYC Hospitality Alliance emphasize urgency in overhauling the program, warning that delays in application processing may prevent many restaurants from participating in the current outdoor dining season.