Yorktown Waives 2021 Outdoor Dining Permit Fees

Yorktown officials will again waive fees for summer outdoor dining permits to help local restaurants and bars recover from the pandemic recession.

Last year the Town Board sought to help local restaurants survive pandemic restrictions by waiving the permit fees and by allowing outdoor dining in parking lots and on sidewalks. Yorktown issued 23 permits last year to restaurants and many of those businesses will resume outdoor dining as the weather warms.

“We were very pleased with the care and safety protocols that our local restaurateurs followed last year,” said Supervisor Matt Slater. “We also recognize that the pandemic recession isn’t over and that many of our local businesses are barely surviving. This fee waiver is just one of the efforts the Town Board hopes to roll out in the coming months to support our local economy.”

Nadine’s Restaurant used the fee waiver last year to open a beer garden that accommodates up to 100 guests.

“It basically saved my restaurant. Nobody wanted to be inside,” said Christian Schienle, owner of Nadine’s, who kept the beer garden open all winter. “The way we built the garden was a big hit in Yorktown. I think this is going to be a trend that will stay.”

Furci’s Restaurant had outdoor dining pre-pandemic. Owner Carmine Furci said the town’s willingness to expand the outdoor dining allowed the restaurant to seat as many customers outdoors as it would have seated indoors.

“It was a lifesaver. If we were not allowed to do that, I don’t know that we would be open for business today,” said Furci.

The outdoors dining was so popular with his customers that Furci has upgraded the outdoor dining area.

“We added a big awning to block the sun and the light rain; about 40 to 50 people can sit under that awning,” said Furci.

Yorktown’s outdoor permit fees depend on seating. A restaurant like Furci’s pays around $600.

Besides the outdoor dining permit fee waiver, Yorktown introduced several pandemic-recovery efforts last year to facilitate a business revival, including pre-application meetings with developers to speed-up the review of applications and expedited building permit processes.