A hint that outdoor dining could be extended was not enough to mollify concerns at a Monday meeting between Small Business Services Commissioner Jonnel Doris and the Queens Borough Board, where frustration around the future of the restaurant industry, and the city's role in it, boiled to the surface.
The city is in talks to extend outdoor dining past its Oct. 31 expiration date, Doris said. But that appeasing gesture quickly got shot down by Vincent Arcuri, chairman of Community Board 5, which covers Middle Village, Glendale, Ridgewood and Maspeth. Outdoor dining in colder months is not feasible, he said, because restaurants would need propane heaters in a mount that violates city codes.
“I think, Commissioner, you need to push for a full opening as soon as possible. Not October, not December, but right away,” Arcuri said in one exchange.
“Thank you for the passion,” Doris replied. “I agree that 25% is not enough," he said.