Friday Video: Who Ruined Outdoor Dining?
We sent our own video team to find out.
By
Streetsblog
12:03 AM EDT on May 9, 2025
Outdoor dining looks a hell of a lot different this spring than it has any time in the past five years — and you can blame the City Council for that.
For today’s Friday video, Streetsblog NYC’s engagement editor Emily Lipstein and video intern Ilan Cardenas-Silverstein visited roadway eateries across four boroughs (spoiler alert: there are none on Staten Island) to see firsthand what’s changed under the new rules for outdoor dining.
What they found were curbsides across the city relegated back to mere car storage when they once bustled with life. And of the relatively few eateries that have set up on the streets, the vast majority are located in the wealthiest parts of the city.
This piece was the work of the Streetsblog staff.
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