The Pandemic Changed Outdoor Dining. It's Still Evolving.

Since 2020, how we’ve dined out has changed considerably, owing to measures put into place to curb the spread of COVID-19. That led to several cities around the U.S. bolstering restaurants’ ability to serve patrons outdoors, including — at least in some cities — in designated areas on the street itself. But just as the hospitality industry is constantly evolving, so too have both eateries and local governments refined and redefined what is and isn’t acceptable.

Chicago’s municipal government, for instance, permits restaurants to operate sidewalk cafes, curbside dining and full street closures. Portland, Oregon made its outdoor dining permanent in 2022 — though at the time, an Oregon Public Broadcasting report hinted that future changes might be in the works. It’s not just large cities that have sought to expand where restaurants can serve customers; the town of Red Bank, New Jersey — not far from where I grew up — closes down one of its busiest streets during the summer for expanded dining and pedestrian access.

Outdoor dining during the pandemic wasn’t a phenomenon confined to the U.S. When I interviewed author Zito Madu earlier this year about his book on visiting Venice in 2020, he recalled his own experiences there. “A lot of restaurants were outside,” he said. “If you were inside, you wore a mask, but outside, you could stay far apart and not wear a mask, and then there was a curfew around six or seven for restaurants — but a couple of them stayed open as well.”

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At its best, expanded outdoor dining gives restaurants an economic boost and lets diners feel more connected to the city around them. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t bumps in the process, though. New York City is about to experience a massive change in its curbside dining program, requiring outdoor structures built during the pandemic to be taken down and replaced with a more standardized (and no longer year-round) design.

Unfortunately, this looks like it’ll lead to a significant decline in the number of bars and restaurants opting into the program. At the end of last week, Streetsblog reported that just 23 restaurants in New York City had reached the “public hearing” stage required to continue offering curbside dining.