'Open Restaurants' Program To Return To NYC Next Summer
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday that New York City's "Open Restaurants" program will return next summer.
The initiative was implemented to help businesses struggling during the pandemic.
It closes off about 100 miles of streets across all five boroughs.
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"I want people in communities to look forward and see that we're going to keep coming back strong. I want the folks who own the restaurants to know that they're going to have that additional revenue going forward - the folks who work in the restaurants to know that whatever else we have to weather, we have seen that this experiment worked. So expect to see that wonderful outdoor dining back next year," de Blasio said.
This year, Open Restaurants is scheduled to end on Oct. 31. So far, the program is helping over 9,500 restaurants operate during the pandemic.