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Dear John,I fall in love with New York City every day in part because of the delicious food served up by tens of thousands of restaurants across all five boroughs (have you ever tried fuchka ?).

But as the New York Times recently covered, my Comptroller’s office found that only 40 out of 3,500 restaurants received outdoor dining permits ahead of the program’s April 1 start.

This abysmal number hurts small businesses. Since the pandemic, outdoor dining helped restaurants flourish – but the program has failed under Mayor Adams. When I’m Mayor, we’ll fix this program to ensure a vibrant future for outdoor dining.

I hope you'll take a few moments to read an excerpt from the NYT article below, and then let me know: What restaurant that used to have a great outdoor dining experience would love to see again when I’m Mayor? [[link removed]]






4,000 Applications for Outdoor Dining. 39 Licenses Issued.
By Matthew Haag | The New York Times
February 14, 2025During the worst of the coronavirus pandemic, desperate New York City restaurants found a financial lifeline by expanding seating outdoors. Dining sheds began popping up without much city oversight, somewhat haphazardly reshaping the city’s streets.

Last year, after wrangling involving the mayor, the City Council, and the restaurant industry, the city ordered all the sheds to be taken down as it formalized a permanent outdoor dining program to begin this spring.

Some 4,000 applications have been submitted for roadway and sidewalk licenses. But as Grub Street first reported, many angry restaurant owners say they are stuck in a bureaucratic maze ahead of the busiest dining season. With the start just weeks away on April 1, only 39 licenses have been approved.

“Without roadway dining, I don’t want to continue in this business,” said Philip Guardione, the chef and owner of Piccola Cucina Osteria Siciliana. “You need outside dining, or you kill restaurants.”

Faced with such an extensive backlog, the Department of Transportation, which initially reviews and approves the applications, announced on Thursday that businesses could open their outdoor structures — on the roadway as well as the sidewalk, which had been previously announced — on April 1 without a license. As long as the restaurant had submitted a completed application and was following the program’s rules, it would not be subject to fines.

The backlog has angered the New York City comptroller, Brad Lander, whose office issues the licenses after the Department of Transportation reviews them. Mr. Lander said the program was important for the city’s finances, providing nearly $10 million in annual sales-tax revenue during the pandemic.

“Spring is almost here, and restaurant owners are running out of time to design new outdoor seating and obtain liquor licenses,” Mr. Lander, who is running for mayor, said in a statement. The Department of Transportation, he added, needed to speed up its work and “start sending their permits to this office.”

🍝 Before you go, John, can you share your thoughts? 🍝
Brad will fix the broken and burdensome Dining Out NYC program to ensure a vibrant future for NYC’s outdoor dining.
What restaurant that used to have a great outdoor dining experience would you love to see restarted when Brad is mayor?
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Lander for Mayor
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