Outdoor Dining's Return Welcomed By Bed-Stuy Restaurants

BEDFORD-STUYVESANT, BROOKLYN — Bed-Stuy restaurateur Charlotta Janssen welcomed news that New York City's Phase II reopening would move forward Monday.

It means Janssen's restaurant Chez Oskar and thousands of others citywide can roll out outdoor dining. But something nagged at her — why didn't this happen weeks ago?

"It’s way too little too late," Janssen said.

Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday officially gave the go-ahead to the city's next phase of reopening from a months-long lockdown to stop the new coronavirus' spread. Barbershops, hair salons, in-store retail, offices, real estate agencies, car dealerships and, yes, restaurants will welcome their workers back starting Monday.

But the mayor's haphazard rollout, mixed messages and lack of communication frustrated many business owners like Janssen.

It also didn't keep pace with local officials like Borough President Eric Adams, who wrote de Blasio on May 15 calling for a return to outdoor seating for restaurants and other measures to help small businesses.

Adams on Thursday issued a statement welcoming the outdoor seating move.

"Giving restaurants a wide array of options for outdoor seating is a necessity to ensure these businesses stay afloat while we manage a safe re-opening process," he said. "However, given the urgency of this situation and the continuing uncertainty around the duration of this pandemic, I believe we must go even further, extending the curbside pilot until October and loaning out DOT and NYPD barriers, rather than having businesses that are already in dire financial straits cover the costs of those barriers."

Janssen struggled to keep her French bistro on Malcolm X Boulevard afloat during the lockdown as it went takeout only and third-party food delivery app fees took a further bite from profits.

She and 30 other Bed-Stuy restauratuers petitioned de Blasio to reopen outdoor seating with through a video called "Let Bed-Stuy Eat In The Street."

But May — full of prime outdoor seating days — passed without meaningful communication from the mayor's office, Janssen said.

"We had these perfect days, perfect months where it was perfect sit outside," Janssen said.

Now, Janssen worries hot weather in July and August will scare away any outdoor diners.

Moving forward, Janssen said she hopes for more of a "dialogue" from the mayor's office. Small businesses and restaurants need help as they try to keep customers, pay their rent and fight food delivery apps, she said.

Without help there will be no small businesses left in New York City after the pandemic, she said.

"I do love this order and I am happy with it, but they need to realize they have a whole lot more to do to save small businesses," Janssen said.