Dining out: Sidewalk cafés suddenly all the rage

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When Steve Catechis first opened Blackstone Bar & Grill in 2014, he desperately wanted to include a sidewalk dining area.

“It beautifies the block,” he said. “It makes it very inviting, and people like it. Nobody wants to be cooped up inside anymore.”

But as time and money got in the way, Catechis was forced to watch as three other restaurants located on the same two-block strip of Riverdale Avenue served their customers in outdoor dining areas. Now, just after celebrating the grill’s three-year anniversary, he might finally have a chance to join them.

“It’s a very expensive project to take on,” Catechis said. “You want everything to be done right and you want it right the first time.”

Such cafés require a license from the city. To get that licensing, restaurants have to hire attorneys to get the right paperwork filed with the city and the community board. Owners also have to work with an architect or state-certified engineer to design a functional layout for seating in what is often a very limited space.

And that doesn’t include the cost for additional tables, chairs and barriers.

“There are all these separate rules about what you can do and what you can’t do,” said Rosemary Ginty, chair of Community Board 8. “It is very much the decision of a restaurant owner whether or not it is worth the extra money.”

New York City mandates a restaurant sidewalk café stay at least eight feet from the curb and nine feet from any intersection. If there is a bus stop or a fire hydrant nearby, those rules change. 

On top of these restrictions, the restaurant has to pay the city a “substantial fee” to operate outside, according to Ginty. That fee depends on how many seats a restaurant wishes to have, but the minimum is $1,000. The business also has to pay a security deposit of anywhere between $1,500 and $4,000.

While Ginty said sidewalk eateries overall are a “positive” addition to the neighborhood, there are cases where a community board might tweak a proposal, or deny permission overall. 

She shared a recent incident in Manhattan where a restaurant wanted to open a sidewalk café that wrapped around the corner onto a small side street. Residents were concerned about possible noise from the café’s nightlife. As a result, Ginty said, it would be rare to find a sidewalk café on any street in Riverdale other than a commercial block.

If all goes as planned, Catechis could have an outdoor area that can seat up to 20 people by the summer’s end. 

But in order to make his loyal patrons more comfortable, he would only place 14 seats outdoors, giving customers more legroom. 

While Catechis may not reap the rewards of a full summer season, he is confident the additional area will both attract customers and add to the value of his business.

According to a study from business management firm Vucurevich Simons Advisory Group, outdoor areas could potentially boost a restaurant’s total revenue by almost 30 percent.

“Absolutely it adds to revenue,” said Felix Abarca, general manger of the Latin American restaurant Tin Marin on Riverdale Avenue. When his restaurant first opened in 2012, Abarca wasted no time getting a permit for their sidewalk café. 

Just four months into the business they were serving customers outside. 

Sidewalk cafés have two crucial purposes for any restaurant, Abarca explained. 

“You do make more money, especially during the summer,” he said. “The other purpose is that it makes the place prettier, it makes people want to be here and hang out.” 

A sidewalk café is a good indicator of what a customer can expect from the restaurant before they even step through the front door, Abarca added. Picnic tables can point toward a more casual dining experience, while set tables could indicate a formal environment. 

“I like the ambiance of it,” said Carol Luna, while she ate outside at Yo-Burger on Riverdale Avenue. She, like many others, enjoys the people-watching entertainment that often accompanies alfresco dining.

There are seven restaurants in Riverdale that offer sidewalk café areas, with others applying to begin the process of creating one. In the past few months, CB8 has seen three applications from local businesses for these outdoor spaces.

“I hate to compare us to France or Italy or the beautiful cities that have dining alfresco,” Ginty said. “But it does add life. There is life to a street with an outdoor café. You can watch the world go by.”

Blackstone Bar & Grill, Tin Marin, CB8, Yo-Burger, sidewalk cafe, Alexandra Hutzler

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