As outdoor dining sheds have become a key part of New York’s streetscapes 2 1/2 years into the pandemic, a new study says most eateries want the city to make permanent the Open Restaurants program that's still in “temporary emergency status."
Three in four restaurant owners said outdoor dining is integral to the survival of their businesses, according to a survey of owners and operators of nearly 600 restaurants and bars across the five boroughs by the NYC Hospitality Alliance, which represents both restaurants as well as bars and other nightlife establishments in the nation's biggest city.
“Dining al fresco has become a beloved feature of restaurant culture for New Yorkers and visitors alike,” Andrew Rigie, executive director of the NYC Hospitality Alliance, said in a statement.
The survey also found that restaurant owners and operators are split about their future, with many uncertain about their pandemic recovery. Only 1 in 5 respondents is optimistic about their ability to recover, according to the study.
Hiring and retaining employees was cited as a top challenge by respondents in New York, where restaurants and bars employ 40,000-plus fewer people than pre-pandemic employment levels.
The city has said it’s working to create a permanent outdoor dining program after the success of the emergency program.
A recent study published by the city’s Department of Transportation also found that restaurants and bars on car-free streets "strongly outperformed" on sales growth and other metrics as opposed to those on nearby “control” streets that maintained vehicular traffic.
Some restaurants already looked to be feeling the pinch without outdoor dining. Pinky’s Space, a restaurant and art gallery on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, was forced to shut down recently after the city demolished its $50,000, 30-foot-long outdoor dining structure and garden built during the pandemic, the New York Post reported, adding roadway dining accounted for the majority of business at Pinky's Space.
“We’ve invested every penny into Pinky’s Space and we depended on the” Open Restaurants program “to keep our doors open,” the restaurant said on its website.