Thanks to New Rules, Outdoor Dining Is Mostly for Rich Neighborhoods Again

Thanks to New Rules, Outdoor Dining Is Mostly for Rich Neighborhoods Again

Lower income neighborhoods are losing out under the City's new seasonal outdoor dining program. Only 8.5 percent of restaurants with roadway dining are in City Council districts with median household incomes of $80,000 or less, according to an analysis of Department of Transportation data by the advocacy group Open Plans. An even smaller share, 2.2 percent, are in neighborhoods with median incomes of $60,000 or less. By contrast, the large major…