PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia’s “streeteries” — those outdoor dining structures planked on city streets and parking spaces — are one of the few things that came out of the pandemic that people want to stick around.
Over the last two years, they served as a godsend for restaurants and patrons alike, giving those who wanted to dine — and keep their businesses open — an option that allowed for a lower risk of COVID-19 transmission.
Many businesses have turned their outdoor dwellings into brick-and-mortar extensions of their restaurants, but they may not be here to stay indefinitely as owners and diners had hoped.
City Council approved streeteries as permanent structures in December, with a few physical and legislative boundaries, but more caveats were quietly added last month. The latest requirements would force restaurant owners to remove their streeteries during inclement weather, pay an annual fee and a $60,000 security deposit, and get pre-approval from a commission on their designs.
The regulations are still being amended, so it’s unclear when enforcement would begin, leaving people more confused than before.
How did outdoor dining in Philadelphia get to this point?
Prior to the pandemic, in order to get authorization for tables and chairs outside of an establishment, a restaurant had to undergo a lengthy process with the City of Philadelphia. Getting approval could take months because committees only meet periodically to review applications.
When the pandemic hit in March 2020 and restaurants were suddenly shuttered, the city streamlined some of its processes in order to create additional seating and business for the hospitality industry.
The Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association (PRLA) worked closely with the city to develop creative solutions and advocate for swift city approval. What they came up with were rules regarding outdoor dining, parklets, weekend street closures and the newly established term “streeteries.”
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Back when these emergency plans were rolled out, PRLA spokesperson Ben Fileccia said permits, which used to take months to issue, were suddenly issued within a week. It was a lifeline for struggling businesses.
Once they had permits, many of them rushed to make their restaurants attractive to customers who were either prohibited from dining indoors or reluctant to do so. They invested a significant amount of money making elaborate platforms or barriers, and in the winter added heaters or enclosed pods.
But when COVID-19 case counts went up, stricter rules were enforced at restaurants, like mask-wearing, vaccination requirements, and who was allowed to dine indoors (or at all). Sometimes rules were changed on a whim, leaving restaurants with surplus inventory heading into a weekend.
Some places changed their concepts from dining establishments to store models or bottle shops. Others mothballed or just closed down during the winter months.
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Are streeteries in Philadelphia allowed to be permanent structures?
Near the end of 2021, restaurant owners were told outdoor dining would be coming to an end on Dec. 31. Some opponents of streeteries had argued they caused more congestion in areas with already limited parking. Still, Councilmember Allan Domb spearheaded an effort to make streeteries permanent, and City Council ultimately agreed to do so, with some restrictions.
The first of the restrictions had to do with a “catchment” area for streeteries, which placed Center City in the middle. Restaurants outside of that catchment area would have to get approval from their councilmembers to keep their streeteries in place, which meant getting streetery licenses renewed would again take months, not days. Business owners argued the process was unfair and impacted establishments that needed the most help.
Last month, the city quietly released new outdoor dining regulations, which put restrictions on utilities for streeteries, including annual fees and a $60,000 security bond.
The city also wanted the outdoor frameworks to be moveable in case of inclement weather, which owners said would create storage issues. Some even pointed out that their structures had made it through tornadoes, high winds and floods, and they protested against having to remove their streeteries any time there was a threat of weather.
What do Philadelphia-area restaurants want now?
Once the PRLA learned about the new regulations, it asked for a public hearing. More than 100 business owners joined the meeting via Zoom on March 16 to ask the city committee to reconsider some of its streetery requirements.
Angela Sultan, of the Point Breeze bar Community, said her customers were upset upon hearing that her restaurant may not be able to afford to keep their streetery in place as initially proposed. She also questioned why there’s a catchment of streeteries that will be able to operate while others, like hers, need special approval.
“It does make some businesses feel like you’re prioritizing Center City or Rittenhouse Square, which really can’t give up the parking, but yet they all have giant, massive streeteries,” she said.
Others noted that they are still feeling the impact of COVID-19, and many people are still hesitant to even dine indoors. They said having additional seating outdoors at least gave them a baseline of patrons to count on.
Restaurant owners pleaded with the committee to include hospitality professionals and those who patronize restaurants in their future recommendations.
“It’s beyond disillusionment that these rules were created without anyone in our industry chiming in,” argued Nate Ross of New Wave Cafe in South Philly.
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Owners asked that enforcement not begin until the regulations have been clarified. They were counting on the spring weather to be able to attract diners once again and recoup some of their losses over the past two years.
Standard Tap owner William Reed said for many small businesses, streetery seating was a lifesaver.
“It’s given a little baseline that we could count on during the worst times,” he said.