The new rules are complicated.
Your path to compliance doesn’t need to be.
Dining Structures NYC allows you to outsource the stress of untangling the recently released structure guidelines and keep your focus where it needs to be: running your business.
Brought to you by the team and resources behind ShowFab, Dining Structures NYC provides restaurants with compliant structures for purchase, lease, or rent, as well as off season storage and maintenance options.
Roadway dining is entering a new, permanent era.
The need for outdoor dining in NYC was born in chaos. In 2020 we were faced with unprecedented circumstances as a city, but then – also as a city – we developed unprecedented solutions that allowed us to persevere and, against all odds, thrive.
The desire for outdoor dining has outlived the chaos and roadway dining has established itself as a beloved offering, a new way for locals and visitors to experience our beautiful city and a much-needed boost of income for restaurant owners.
In order for your business to follow roadway dining into this new, permanent era, your current structure will need to be removed and replaced with one that complies with the newly issued NYC regulations. While this might feel like a frustrating step backwards, it’s actually an important step forward in ensuring the safety and cleanliness of the streets that our communities share.
Why should you trust us?
Dining Structures NYC is a service provided by the construction professionals at ShowFab. Operating in the specialty fabrication space since 1986, ShowFab has all the experience and resources in house to provide your business with a cost-effective, fully compliant outdoor dining solution. Modularly engineered and available in a range of finishes to scale to your spatial and budgetary needs, Dining Structures NYC is ready to help you at every step of the way:
- Site survey
- Seating impact studies
- Permit application guidance
- Modular systems that are easy to install, remove, and adapt over time
- Customizable designs and finishes
- Efficient and easy delivery
- Installation and removal
- Maintenance
- Off season storage
Why should you trust us?
Dining Structures NYC is a service provided by the construction professionals at ShowFab. Operating in the specialty fabrication space since 1986, ShowFab has all the experience and resources in house to provide your business with a cost-effective, fully compliant outdoor dining solution. Modularly engineered and available in a range of finishes to scale to your spatial and budgetary needs, Dining Structures NYC is ready to help you at every step of the way:
- Site survey
- Seating impact studies
- Permit application guidance
- Modular systems that are easy to install, remove, and adapt over time
- Customizable designs and finishes
- Efficient and easy delivery
- Installation and removal
- Maintenance
- Off season storage
Will your restaurant be ready?
The DOT’s permit application process will open to business owners in March 2024, and any restaurant that hasn’t applied by August 3rd will need to dismantle their existing roadway structure. Upon approval of a business’s application, the city is only allowing 30 days to replace the current structure with a fully compliant one.
Any restaurant owner who wants to continue benefitting from the additional income and brand visibility that comes with claiming roadway real estate will need to replace their current structure with one that complies with the new NYC regulations.
Why can’t existing structures be adapted?
In addition to lengthy size, setback, and construction regulations, moving forward Roadway Cafes will need to adhere to a long list of requirements, including the need to be removed annually from Nov 30 – March 31. The majority of existing Roadway Cafes were not constructed with this in mind, and the expense, effort, and downtime that would be required to adapt existing structures is exceedingly more prohibitive than installing one that’s been pre-planned to compliance by Dining Structures NYC.
The below table outlines some, but not all, of the additional factors that will be subject to city inspection moving forward:
Sidewalk Cafés
Maximum length cannot exceed the frontage of the restaurant.
Maximum width is site specific to allow for proper egress.
Setbacks from signs, hydrants, street furniture, underground vaults, etc. must be maintained.
No built structures are allowed, and railings must not exceed 30” in height.
Umbrellas and other coverings are permitted as long as they don’t attach to the building or extend past the sidewalk café.
Any element attached to the building, such as an awning, must be approved by DOB.
Roadside Cafés
Maximum length cannot exceed the frontage of the restaurant.
No individual café structure can exceed 40’-0” in length and 8’-0” in width.
Maximum barrier height is 42”. Decorative screening can be added, but the total height cannot exceed 6’-0” and must allow for clear visibility.
Barriers must have 150 pounds of water weight per linear foot.
Optional flooring may be installed, must be ADA accessible.
Canopies can be added, but the total height of the café cannot exceed 10’ – 0”.