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9 Ways Outdoor Dining Will Change New York
9 Ways Outdoor Dining Will Change New York
Street and sidewalk tables won’t just survive the pandemic. They’ll make the city a different
place.
More than 10,000 New York restaurants have set up outdoor seating under an emergency program
that will be made permanent.
Covid-19 has changed New York City’s restaurant culture more than any event since
Prohibition. The most obvious effect, happening now and getting worse by the week but
already dismal to contemplate, will be the death of hundreds and possibly thousands of small,
independent businesses, each loss radiating out to employees, communities and suppliers
many miles away. The crisis is so immediate and overwhelming that it is hard to imagine what
life will be like after it’s over.
But when the pandemic is under control and restrictions on dining have been lifted, at least
one emergency measure will remain. The outdoor dining program that allowed more than
10,000 restaurants to set out tables and chairs on the city’s sidewalks and streets is here to
stay, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio and the City Council.
In the general calamity, it’s been easy to overlook the enormous implications this move will
have for restaurants, streets and neighborhoods. It’s not too soon to start making a few
predictions about a city whose character will be shaped as much by the umbrellas and chairs at
ground level as it is by the lights and spires of its skyline.
The popularity of street dining raises a question: Are parked cars the best use of public roadways?
Pete Wells has served as restaurant critic for The New York
Times since 2012. Mr. Wells joined the Times as dining editor in
2006. @pete_wells