{"id":16295,"date":"2025-09-08T18:22:23","date_gmt":"2025-09-08T22:22:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cbmanhattan.cityofnewyork.us\/cb12\/?page_id=16295"},"modified":"2026-01-28T20:58:48","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T01:58:48","slug":"dining-out-nyc","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cbmanhattan.cityofnewyork.us\/cb12\/resources\/dining-out-nyc\/","title":{"rendered":"Dining Out NYC"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Dining areas placed on the public sidewalk are permitted by the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) under the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.diningoutnyc.info\/\">Dining Out NYC program<\/a>. While DOT is the official permitting agency, Community Board 12 Manhattan (CB12M) plays a key advisory role by reviewing proposals and making recommendations. This guide will help you prepare your application, present it to CB12M, and understand the process for operating a sidewalk cafe in CB12M.<\/p>\n<p>If you are interested in applying for a public sidewalk dining permit, first read the <a href=\"https:\/\/cbmanhattan.cityofnewyork.us\/cb12\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/2026.01-CB12M-Dining-Out-Licensing-Manual.pdf\">Dining Out Licensing Manual<\/a>, then follow the steps below.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"401\" data-end=\"449\">STEP 1: PREPARE YOUR APPLICATION MATERIALS<\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"450\" data-end=\"579\">Before presenting at a committee meeting, you must submit a complete application to CB12M. The following documents are required:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-start=\"450\" data-end=\"579\"><strong>Site Plan<\/strong> (drawn to scale): Show caf\u00e9 layout, sidewalk clearances, and building frontage.<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"450\" data-end=\"579\"><strong>Photos<\/strong> of the existing sidewalk and restaurant frontage<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"450\" data-end=\"579\"><strong>Renderings or Sketches<\/strong> of the proposed caf\u00e9 setup<\/li>\n<li><strong>Business Information<\/strong>: Restaurant name and address; Contact person name, phone number, and email; Proposed number of tables and seats; Proposed operating hours<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sla.ny.gov\/outdoor-dining-adding-municipal-space\"><strong>SLA 30-Day Notice Expansion onto Municipal Property Form<\/strong><\/a>: Required for businesses serving alcohol, indicating sidewalk extension<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"750\" data-end=\"794\"><strong>Letter of intent<\/strong> (Optional but encouraged): <span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A brief statement describing how the caf\u00e9 supports community needs and DOT rules<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-start=\"750\" data-end=\"794\"><strong>CB12M Questionnaire<\/strong> (<a href=\"https:\/\/cbmanhattan.cityofnewyork.us\/cb12\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/CB12M-RoadwaySidewalk-Cafe-Questionnaire-Jan2026.docx\">Word Version<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/cbmanhattan.cityofnewyork.us\/cb12\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/CB12M-RoadwaySidewalk-Cafe-Questionnaire-Jan2026.pdf\">PDF Version<\/a>): <span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Provided by CB12M; must be completed and returned<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-start=\"750\" data-end=\"794\"><strong>Proof of Posting<\/strong>: CB12M will provide public notices. You must post these at your establishment during the review period.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-start=\"984\" data-end=\"1028\">STEP 2: PRESENT TO THE COMMUNITY BOARD<\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"1029\" data-end=\"1152\">Your application will be reviewed by the Licensing Committee of CB12M. You will be scheduled to attend a public meeting to present your proposal.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"1159\" data-end=\"1179\">WHAT TO EXPECT<\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"1180\" data-end=\"1257\"><strong data-start=\"1180\" data-end=\"1197\">Presentation:<\/strong> Provide a brief 5\u201310 minute overview.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1259\" data-end=\"1315\"><strong data-start=\"1259\" data-end=\"1274\">Discussion:<\/strong> Be prepared to answer questions about:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-start=\"1318\" data-end=\"1338\">Sidewalk clearance<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1341\" data-end=\"1362\">ADA access<\/li>\n<li>Sanitation\/maintenance<\/li>\n<li>Noise or neighborhood impacts<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"1441\" data-end=\"1581\"><strong data-start=\"1441\" data-end=\"1453\">Outcome:<\/strong> CB12M will vote on a resolution recommending approval, conditional approval, or disapproval. This is forwarded to DOT as part of your application record.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1583\" data-end=\"1695\"><strong data-start=\"1583\" data-end=\"1596\">Reminder:<\/strong> Bring physical copies if attending in person, and email digital files in advance as instructed by CB12M.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"1792\" data-end=\"1824\">FINAL NOTES FOR APPLICANTS<\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"1827\" data-end=\"1913\"><strong>Know your block: <\/strong>Be aware of your block\u2019s issues, neighbors, and pedestrian traffic.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1916\" data-end=\"1996\"><strong>Engage Early:<\/strong> Reach out to nearby residents, block associations, or Business Improvement Districts (BIDs).<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1916\" data-end=\"1996\"><strong>Be Responsive:<\/strong> Quickly follow up with requested edits, clarifications, or missing documents.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"card-text\">Dining areas placed on the public sidewalk are permitted by the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) under the Dining Out NYC program. While DOT is the official permitting agency, Community<\/p>\n<div class=\"mt-auto\"><a class=\"btn btn-secondary mt-auto\" role=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/cbmanhattan.cityofnewyork.us\/cb12\/resources\/dining-out-nyc\/\">Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":0,"parent":14765,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16295","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cbmanhattan.cityofnewyork.us\/cb12\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16295","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cbmanhattan.cityofnewyork.us\/cb12\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cbmanhattan.cityofnewyork.us\/cb12\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cbmanhattan.cityofnewyork.us\/cb12\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cbmanhattan.cityofnewyork.us\/cb12\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16295"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cbmanhattan.cityofnewyork.us\/cb12\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16295\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cbmanhattan.cityofnewyork.us\/cb12\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14765"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cbmanhattan.cityofnewyork.us\/cb12\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16295"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cbmanhattan.cityofnewyork.us\/cb12\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16295"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}