Deadline to apply for NYC outdoor dining permits is Aug. 3

NEW YORK – New York City restaurant owners have until Aug. 3 to apply for roadside permits for the city's new outdoor dining guidelines .

Under the new Dining Out NYC program, structures can't be fully enclosed and must have a unified look and be easy to break down since they will only be allowed from April through November.

While roadside dining has dwindled since the pandemic, the Department of Transportation says so far, more than 1,300 of the several thousand restaurants with outdoor dining have applied for permits.

Restaurant owners have until the end of the day Aug. 3 to apply or they must take down their outdoor dining set-ups . Those who don't apply and don't take them down will get fined, starting at $500.

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Mayor Eric Adams was in Washington Heights Saturday to remind restaurant owners the deadline is fast approaching.

"This is a beautiful day to eat out and pick up additional revenue by making sure that you can sort of stabilize during these tough economic times," he said.

Taner Yigiter has already applied for a permit for his Washington Heights restaurant, Mama Sushi.

"It adds a big difference into the summer season, like days like this, beautiful days, people like to dine outside. It's just a good setting. It just advertises the business really well," he said.

Mey Merlin built an outdoor shed to keep her Harlem restaurant, El Porton Mexican Restaurant, in business during the COVID pandemic. It cost over $20,000.

"It'll be a shame to get this out of the way," she said.

Merlin is trying to find a cost-effective design before applying. While the permit is $1,500 for four years, she needs to factor in the added costs.

"That's a hassle because you need to find someone to assemble it ... Then where are you going to put it [during the winter]? You need to rent storage to put it. So everything is money. Money, money, money," she said.