Medford Now Accepting Outdoor Dining Applications For 2022 Season

MEDFORD, MA — The City of Medford’s Department of Planning, Development and Sustainability is now accepting applications for the 2022 Outdoor Dining program for eligible restaurants.

Beginning on April 4 and continuing on a rolling basis, the city will accept applications for restaurants and eateries interested in offering outdoor dining options beginning this spring.

In 2020 and 2021, with the assistance of the Shared Streets grants offered by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, the city streamlined the permitting processes for its first two seasons of the outdoor dining program and is looking to extend and potentially expand the program.

“Thanks to our team in the department of Planning, Development and Sustainability, Medford’s businesses have been able to easily and effectively adapt to a new consumer environment while offering the same level of service and maintaining health protocols,” Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn said in a statement. “Our outdoor dining program has proved to be a tremendous success and a major reason why our downtowns and commercial districts have been able to remain a vibrant part of our community.”

The city will accommodate as many restaurants as possible for the 2022 season, subject to a review of factors including physical geography, availability of space, accessibility, health and safety requirements, and others deemed necessary by city staff. Guidelines for outdoor dining, including dimensional and operational requirements can be found here.

All restaurants interested in expanding their premises to include new or additional outdoor areas for dining and/or alcohol service must apply through the city’s outdoor dining permitting system. Restaurants with permits with already designated outdoor areas are not required to apply for an annual Outdoor Dining license. The application is available at https://bit.ly/outdoor-dining-application22.

Restaurants planning to serve alcohol in outdoor dining areas must also apply for an Alteration of Premises license from the Medford License Commission.