Outdoor Dining Kicks Off For Most Restaurants In Boston Friday

BOSTON — Some restaurants will be pulling out the patio furniture for the third year in a row as outdoor dining season starts for most Boston neighborhoods, while some won't be going through the trouble, and others will have to wait another month.

Mixing in new guidelines and hefty fees for the North End neighborhood, the outdoor dining pilot program has some changes for restaurants across the city that are choosing to keep their hat in the ring.

"There are many ways in which our city services are delivered differently across different neighborhoods," Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said in a press conference Tuesday. "Equity doesn't mean equality all across the board."

Outdoor dining was once a vital bypass some Boston restaurants needed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to stay afloat as curfews, social distancing, and capacity limits terrorized the dwindling industry - now it faces its final and maybe most controversial year of the three-year trial first launched by then-mayor Marty Walsh in 2020.

Before this pandemic-fueled concept, outdoor dining was only allowed on specific private property, with restaurants needing extensive approval and having to pay hefty annual fees. In attempts to boost the economy, get people out of the house and save dying businesses, Walsh allowed outdoor dining in public spaces including sidewalks and parking spots.

When fewer people were on the road, parking space dining wasn't as much of an issue, but now city officials fear what could happen both traffic and safety-wise. A 22-page packet outlines guidance for both private and public property requests.

No more wooden or rope panels can be used as a barrier for patios, as restaurants must switch to either concrete jersey or water-filled barriers - which could add an extra expense to already struggling restaurants.

"The large chains and partnership groups with say, 100 tables, are able to pay $20,000 for outdoor seating. We're not," Bessie King of Villa Mexico Cafe told the Boston Globe. "Independent places are bleeding money."

While most spots around the city will be wiping off wet patio furniture Friday, the North End will not be able to start outdoor dining until May 1. This later start time is coupled with an earlier end date, giving North End restaurants a much shorter "al fresco" season, which could be a huge disruption for businesses.

Earlier this month, city officials decided that North End restaurant owners would have to pay a $7,500 fee just to keep outdoor dining the same way they had the last two years. All restaurant owners in the North End have also been ordered to pay an additional $450 per month for each parking spot they use for outdoor seating, citing narrow sidewalks and a limited amount of space for dropoffs and pickups. This fee was met with backlash, as North End restaurant owners threatened to sue the city and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu instead of complying.

Last summer, the two neighborhoods with the most sidewalk dining spots were operated in the North End with 77 makeshift outdoor patios and 51 in the Back Bay.

A spokesperson for Wu's Office said the city will issue final approval of the new regulations after the state finalizes a one-year extension of the temporary outdoor dining initiative.

Friday also marks the end of Boston's Public Health Emergency declaration, which was first put in place on March 15, 2020 - 747 days ago.