City’s Restaurant Revitalization Program Awards $2.3 Million to Restaurants

The restaurants have committed to provide 87,000 free meals to impacted New Yorkers. On September 3, 2020, Mayor Bill de Blasio, First Lady Chirlane McCray, the Taskforce on Racial Inclusion & Equity, and One Fair Wage announced nearly 100 restaurants were awarded $2.3 million through the Restaurant Revitalization Program to support restaurant employees and to make meals accessible to New Yorkers impacted by COVID-19.


Small Business Services Offers Free Consultation Services for Open Restaurant Guidelines

The consultation focuses on state guidelines, outdoor seating, accessibility and personal protective equipment. On July 16, 2020, NYC Department of Small Business Services Commissioner Jonnel Doris announced the expansion of free virtual consultation services for small businesses in order to help them open up properly under the Open Restaurants guidelines and avoid fines and penalties.


Mayor Directs DOT to Administer Open Restaurants Plan Ahead of Phase 2 Reopening

Today marks NYC’s official Phase 2 reopening. On June 22, 2020, New York City officially entered Phase 2 of the State’s COVID-19 reopening plan. In preparation for the reopening, Mayor Bill de Blasio signed an executive order directing the Department of Transportation, with aid from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Department of Small Business Services, to administer the “Open Restaurants” plan. The Open Restaurants plan will generally permit restaurants and bars … <Read More>


City Council Holds Hearing on Open Restaurants Plan

Open Restaurants Plan intended for Phase 2 start. On June 4, 2020, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the Open Restaurants seating program and the Council Committee on Consumer Affairs and Business Licensing held the public hearing on Intro 1957, a bill that would create the temporary outdoor dining space. The bill is sponsored by Council Member Antonio Reynoso and was introduced at the May 28th, 2020 Stated Meeting.


Comptroller’s Audit of DOHMH’s Follow-up of Health Code Violations at Restaurants

Audit shows weaknesses in Health Department’s ability to regulate health code inspections at restaurants. On June 30, 2015, New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer released an audit report that examined how effectively the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s restaurant inspection program was working to resolve outstanding health code violations. The report examined the process by which DOHMH conducts its restaurant inspection program. The program consists of initial unannounced inspections where public health inspectors note … <Read More>


What is the Future of Outdoor Dining in New York City?

 

By Mark Chiusano

The outdoor dining setup at Artesano on Chambers Street had some of the soaring dignity of its location. Patrons savoring the high-end Peruvian food could look through an arched, see-through roof at the classical limestone exterior of the David N. Dinkins Municipal Building, topped by the towering gilded statue “Civic Fame.”  

It did not feel like eating in the street. It was an “extension of our restaurant,” said Roman Cervantes, a <Read More>