NYC

How Two NYC Restaurants Are Adjusting to Outdoor Dining

A person walks by tables placed outside for outdoor dining at a Serafina restaurant in midtown
Rob Kim/Getty Images

Now that outdoor dining is officially allowed, NYC restaurants are finding a whole new set of wrinkles when it comes to serving diners.

Whether outdoor dining was originally available or not, many restaurants throughout the city are making provisions to encourage customers to take advantage of the option. 

“We have an amazing curbside setup that we pray clients will take advantage of and choose to dine with us versus taking it home,” said Ty Brown, owner of The Bergen, a restaurant located in Crown Heights. “We have live music and entertainment on most nights and hope to expand to some sidewalk space next door.”

While this is a step in the right direction, businesses are cognizant that this is only a mere portion of the journey back to normalcy as there is so much more progress that needs to be done. 

“Our outdoor seating will be “first-come, first served” and though we will carefully sanitize all touchpoints as usual,” said owners of Peaches Hot House Craig Samuel and Ben Grossman. 

“Without tableside service and our dining room hospitality fully engaged, we do have some concerns that we may not be able to provide our guests the complete Peaches experience. We only hope that they bear with us as we go through this transition back to the accommodations that we are known for.” 

Until full recovery is reached, limited service consisting of take-out, delivery and outdoor dining will serve as a morsel of hope for the future. 

Contact Us