It may be cold out, but Boston is already looking ahead to the 2024 outdoor dining season.
Restaurants will be able to open up for outdoor dining from May 1 through Oct. 31 this year, the city announced Tuesday, though, like last year, the North End won't be involved.
For 2023, the city limited restaurants in the North End to offering outdoor seating only on patios and sidewalks rather than on the street, citing the narrow streets, heavy foot traffic and scarce parking for residents, and required businesses to pay a fee of $458 for each parking space their external seating used.
As a result, business owners in the Italian neighborhood filed a lawsuit in March accusing the city of "unequal, unfair, and discriminatory treatment of Italian restaurants in Boston’s North End in its administration and operation of the City’s outdoor dining program in 2022 and 2023," and requested a jury trial in January of this year.
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The city said Tuesday that it plans keep the same guidelines in place and that it may create new ones for specific neighborhoods as the outdoor dining program expands.
Boston restaurants can begin applying for outdoor dining permits Tuesday for the beginning of the summer dining event that begins May 1, and the city has created a streamlined application process for businesses that were approved last season.
Similar to last year, businesses OKed to offer outdoor dining must pay a $399 monthly fee if they have a liquor license and a $199 monthly fee if they do not.
“Boston’s outdoor dining program reimagines how we can best use our streets, while setting clear requirements around accessibility,” Mayor Michelle Wu said in a statement. “This year, we’re making it easier for new and previously approved businesses to take part in the program, creating spaces to gather together and enjoy the cuisine of our small businesses.”
Restaurants looking to apply can do so here.
The initiative began in 2020 as a response to the limitations COVID-19 placed on indoor dining.
