New York City officials are trying to sort out a number of issues plaguing restaurant owners related to the city's new outdoor dining program. A hearing was held on the matter Wednesday.
DOT stats show only about 17 percent of the city's restaurants applied for sidewalk or roadway dining permits under the new program following a series of complaints. Andrew Rigie with New York City's hospitality Alliance says one of the big problems is roadway dining structures can't stay up year round.
"It's too expensive to set up outdoor dining, then take it down, store it during winter months only to set it up again. Its cost prohibitive for small businesses."
He also testified application process needs to run smoother and fees need to be reduced in order to get more restaurants to participate in outdoor dining.