Governor Phil Murphy in Manalapan, NJ Friday, November 1, 2024. At right, an outdoor dining patio in Austin, TX.
© Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images + © Tanya Breen/Asbury Park Press / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
(New York, NY) – The future of outdoor dining is coming into focus on both sides of the Hudson River, with COVID-19 era rules and restrictions fading from view. On Monday, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed a law that permanently permits outdoor dining. Bars and eateries may designate “outdoor dining” space along sidewalks or in adjacent areas. In addition, fixed tents, canopies, umbrellas, and tables are permitted outdoors.
Of course it was during the throes of COVID when outdoor dining first became widespread, as health officials insisted indoor dining was a source of coronavirus “spread.” Rules allowing it were set to expire at the end of the month prior to this new law. Governor Murphy says outdoor dining has proven to be incredibly successful, adding he looks forward to seeing the state’s robust restaurant industry continue to grow.
As for New York City, outdoor dining sheds are heading in the opposite direction — at least temporarily. The Big Apple’s 13,000 restaurants turned to outdoor dining as a true “lifeline” during the pandemic, but many residents say the structures have outlived their usefulness. Dilapidated and disheveled, the wood structures are often not even in use anymore.
Residents complain the unused or under-used dining sheds have become spaces where homeless and drug addicts loiter, while also serving as havens for rats and other vermin. That said, the sidewalk sheds could make a reappearance in spots.
There’s a new program that restaurant owners can apply for, via the city’s Department of Transportation. The DOT says around 1,400 applications have been received for outdoor dining permits. Those can go up — following specific regulations and guidelines — in April 2025.
