WEST VILLAGE, Manhattan (WABC) — Get ready to see hundreds of sheds pop up along New York City streets with the start of the outdoor dining season on Wednesday.
Spring has sprung in the West Village, and the only sight more familiar than short sleeves and outdoor eating, are the outdoor dining setups themselves. They’ve been resurrected from storage and are set to go for a new season.
The COVID-19 pandemic is long gone, but there are always obstacles on the menu for a restaurant owner. It was a long winter made longer by tariffs that impacted B’artusi’s Wine Imports. Every little bit counts toward the mom and pop’s bottom-line, which means the owner, Maire McCrea, was hungry for the return of outdoor dining.
“For us, it doubles our footprint. We have an extra 40 seats outside versus the 40 seats inside, so it makes a significant impact on our business model,” McCrea said.
While plenty of restaurant owners have been waiting for the day they can put their outdoor dining sheds back up, for others, like Il Violino on the Upper West Side, it’s a distant memory. Cars sit where their shed would typically go up.
The owner told Eyewitness News, it’s become too much of a headache.
“The cost is very expensive,” owner Carmen Ortiz said.
Ortiz says the thousands of dollars for licensing fees and storage costs are not worth it, especially because she says the city is being picky about where the shed can go.
“The measure that they give us is starting from the second car all the way down to where the parking space is,” Ortiz said. “That’s the part where we are allowed to build. So, it’s kind of far away from the restaurant. And I’m pretty sure the city is going to be very strict this year with the measures and everything they ask for to do it.”
In fact, the city’s own transportation commissioner says the thriving program has declined because of cumbersome new requirements. The law requires multiple reviews by local community boards, the City Council and the Department of Transportation, that can lengthen the approval process by six or even eight months.
“It’s been an ongoing give and take by what’s allowed by the city and what’s allowed by our community board,” McCrea said. “Everyone’s like ‘Oh I need to be able to walk my dog.’ Someone always has something to say.”
DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn says there is a need to make the program year-round and make the process easier.
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