Along Ditmars Boulevard in Astoria, a familiar pattern has emerged: the 18 outdoor dining sheds that had lined the ten blocks adjacent to the subway since 2020 have dwindled down to just three.
The scene on Ditmars mirrored restaurant rows across the city over the weekend when contractors with pickup trucks and power tools hit the streets to take down one of the last visible vestiges of pandemic-era New York City.
Thanks to City Hall legislation that went into effect at the beginning of August, Saturday became the deadline for eateries to apply to make their outdoor seating structures legal under a new system — or demolish them. (Those that keep their sheds but ignore the new law could face hefty fines.)
Only a fraction of restaurants with pandemic-era outdoor seating have taken the above-board route. Of over 12,000 restaurants that participated in the current outdoor dining program over the last four and a half years, less than 25% have applied for permanent permits.
According to the Department of Transportation, 2,592 restaurants applied to be a part of the new program as of the Saturday deadline — with more than half of those coming on the last day.
Of the restaurants that applied, 681 requested curbside seating while 1,277 requested sidewalk-only seating and 634 requested both. Notably, the sidewalk-seating program will be year-round, while curbside seating will only be allowed from April through October, meaning those sheds will go up and come down seasonally.
The fine for not complying with the new rules is $500 the first time, and $1,000 for subsequent violations, though it’s unclear when enforcement of the new rules will begin in earnest.
As the deadline approached this weekend, restaurateurs who’d expanded outside during the pandemic chose widely different paths forward.
In Forest Hills, Tom Avallone, owner of Nick’s Bistro, said the…
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