If NYC dining establishments aren’t demolished by Friday, they could face hefty fines

EAST VILLAGE – Until last call Friday evening, restaurant owners who have had food sheds on the streets of New York City since 2020 are being asked to remove them.

If they don’t do this, they face severe fines.

The demolition request isn’t sitting well with many restaurant owners, who say it’s impacting their business and employees.

Some neighbors have complained about the temporary structures, while others, including some customers, say it represents a loss to life on the street.

Sami Oueslati is the manager of Supper Restaurant. The demolished shed sits in front of the restaurant on East Second Street, waiting to be removed. Oueslati looks on in disbelief.

“We’re going to lose more customers, we’re going to lose more space, it’s very sad,” he said outside his restaurant as he looked at the remains of the dining shed.

“It cost us at least $15,000 to $20,000 to build, you know,” he said.

Under regulations created by an agreement between Mayor Eric Adams, the New York City Council and business groups, the sheds must be removed from the street between Nov. 29 and April 1.

During the spring, summer and fall, restaurants will need a permit to build a sidewalk shed, which will be smaller than many built on city streets. Sheds must be 40 feet or less in length and must be one of four different city-approved prefabricated structures that are easy to assemble and dismantle.

While some customers and neighbors have expressed regret over the demolition of the sheds, the temporary structures have also been the subject of complaints. They ranged from being an eyesore in the sheds to attracting rats and other vermin.

At Ali Baba Restaurant in Midtown, the demolition of the dining shed was underway Friday morning. Manager Lisa Mayisoglu said the restaurant complies with the law, but that law reduces the dining space for which she has hired staff.

“I don’t know what I will do with my employees,” Mayisoglu said in an interview. “We had additional employees. Unfortunately we have to let them go.”

The fine for a shed after November 29th is $500 for the first offense. The second offense is $1,000.

At its peak, there were about 12,000 permitted eating establishments in the city, according to city records.

The number of restaurants that have applied for storage rooms under the new rules is almost 3,000.