Outdoor dining extended year-round, city to make program permanent
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Friday that the Open Restaurants program will be extended year-round. The extension also applies to Open Streets: Restaurants, which currently offers restaurants expanded space on 85 car-free streets citywide on certain days.
“Open Restaurants was a big, bold experiment in supporting a vital industry and reimagining our public space. And it worked,” said de Blasio. “As we begin a long-term recovery, we’re proud to extend and expand this effort to keep New York City the most vibrant city in the world. It’s time for a new tradition.”
The move is part of New York City’s Recovery Agenda. According to the city, the Open Restaurants program has enrolled more than 10,300 establishments since June and has saved an estimated 90,000 jobs citywide.