Dogs Now Allowed in NYC's Outdoor Dining Areas

Photo by Elliott Rubin/Flickr

No more having to brunch with fake best friends!

A much-anticipated new state law, signed by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday, allows New Yorkers to bring along their dogs when dining in an outdoor area, provided the restaurant owner is cool with it.

“While the prime summer season is over, people [will] still have a few mild fall weeks to dine with their dogs legally in New York,” said Linda B. Rosenthal, the Manhattan assemblywoman who proposed the bill.

One popular Brooklyn restaurant contacted by Patch said it had already closed its outdoor seating area for the winter, but that it would be happy to consider allowing dogs onto the patio, come springtime.

“I think it’s great,” Carver Farrell, owner of The Pines in Gowanus, said of the law. “It makes us accessible to more customers. If someone’s walking their dog, they can still stop by and have a snack and a drink.”

However, a waiter and a manager at two other Brooklyn restaurants with big backyard areas — both of whom wished to remain anonymous — said they were waiting for the city to respond to the state law before they made any promises.

The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) was opposed to this bill from the start, and had strongly urged state lawmakers not to sign off.

On Tuesday, clearly, city health officials lost the dog fight.

But they’re not done with this thing: Although the DOHMH can’t override the governor, it does plan on creating rules that strictly regulate the new “Dining With Dogs” law.

“The Food and Drug Administration recommends that animals be excluded from restaurants as they can create a risk to the health and safety of diners, restaurant workers, and other dogs,” the department said in a statement sent to Patch on Wednesday. “We will work to establish rules that will ensure the safety of the public and restaurant patrons.”

One waiter in Crown Heights, speaking on condition of anonymity, said his restaurant (and other restaurants he knew of) had been advised by the New York City Hospitality Alliance not to form their own individual dog policies until final word came down from the DOHMH.

Patch has reached out to the Hospitality Alliance for details.

The language of “Dining With Dogs” [PDF] already includes quite a few caveats. They are, in summary:

• The owner of each restaurant must give his or her permission for dogs to enter
  

• Dogs cannot pass through the interior of a restaurant, and must enter a restaurant’s outdoor dining area through a separate door

• Dogs are not allowed on outdoor furniture

• Restaurants cannot store utensils or prepare food/drinks in an outdoor area that allows dogs

• Any food or drink given to dogs must be served in disposable containers

• Waiters cannot pet the dogs

• If a waiter does pet a dog, he or she must wash his or her hands

• Dog poop and pee must be cleaned up and the area sanitized immediately

• Dogs must be kept on a leash or inside a pet carrier

But for today, at least, perhaps we can put all the city-versus-state politics and legal language aside and celebrate one small step toward the full humanization of our pet friends.