Congrats, City Hall: You Killed Outdoor Dining in Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island
An in-progress photo of The Queensboro's roadway dining setup, one of the few that will be in Queens this year. (Erin Durkin / Hell Gate)

Congrats, City Hall: You Killed Outdoor Dining in Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island

The City's new outdoor dining program starts on Tuesday, April 1—and according to the DOT, a majority of the restaurants cleared to offer al fresco dining are in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Outdoor dining is once again a mostly Manhattan affair. 

According to the Department of Transportation, a majority of the restaurants cleared by the City to offer outdoor dining are in Manhattan, followed by Brooklyn, reversing progress made by the temporary program launched early in the pandemic to spread al fresco eating across the five boroughs. 

Of the 568 roadway cafes authorized to open on Tuesday, April 1, 59 percent are in Manhattan and 34 percent are in Brooklyn, according to a report by Open Plans released on Monday. Only 6 percent are in Queens, and 1.4 percent are in the Bronx. There are none on Staten Island. 

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