Winterization Is Coming: Outdoor Dining Grants Serve NYC Eateries

NEW YORK CITY — Good news, New York City restaurant goers — you're less likely to have to pack a parka to dine outside during the looming pandemic winter.

A new grant program offers city eateries a slice of $500,000 to winterize and shore up their indoor safety measures, according to a release.

The grants offered by DoorDash and NYC Hospitality Alliance aim to help restaurants keep packing tables — within coronavirus restrictions, of course — outdoors and indoors throughout the winter.

“We thank DoorDash for their partnership in supporting restaurants and working to ensure that our industry can keep moving forward through this pandemic during the cooler months," said Andrew Rigie, the Alliance's executive director, in a statement. "The Open Restaurants program has been a critical lifeline to thousands of small businesses, and giving grants to restaurants to help them weatherize their outdoor dining setups and operate safely indoors will help many restaurants continue to serve their communities during the fall and winter."

Weatherization means heating lamps that could beat back the cold as the city 's outdoor dining program is now permanent and year-round.

Applications become available Oct. 16, according to a release. Selected restaurants will receive a $5,000 grant, with recipients announced by the end of December.

Eligible restaurants must be in New York City with three or fewer locations currently operating, 50 employees or fewer in 2019, and $3 million or less in annual revenue last year per store, a release states.

An independent third party called Hello Alice will manage the process, according to a release. Restaurants interested in the grants can find applications on the Hello Alice website starting Oct. 16.