In 2020, the temporary Open Restaurants program was established pursuant to an emergency executive order in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the temporary Open Restaurants program was a critical lifeline for communities and businesses as they navigated the effects of this devasting crisis, the design of many of the outdoor dining set ups presented issues pertaining to sanitation, accessibility, and safety.
For the creation of the permanent outdoor dining program, Dining Out NYC, DOT worked with multiple partners to design, fabricate, install, and test the “Setup Menu,” a modular approach to roadway cafes that would endeavor to alleviate the design issues with the temporary Open Restaurants program. Designers identified a series of roadway conditions based on geographic elements, such frontage width, steepness, or placement on a block. From there, four typologies were developed – a corner setup, a mid-block setup, a floating parking lane setup, and a steep street setup – to accommodate the various conditions food service establishments might encounter.
Selected locations showcased a variety of restaurant types and sizes, proving frontages as narrow as 14 feet could sustain a successful roadway cafe. The designs comprised of various approaches to barriers, flooring, overhead coverings, screening, electrical inputs, and furnishings to understand best practices.
Additionally, the technical drawings of these setups were made freely available online to increase accessibility to compliant designs.
Mid-Block Setup
The mid-block setup
Corner Setup
The corner setup
Floating Parking Lane Setup
The floating parking lane setup
Steep Street Setup
The steep street setup