With restaurant street seating becoming a yearly summer fixture, sign and awning makers have a fantastic opportunity.
NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today that due to the incredible success of the Open Restaurants program, which allows restaurants to serve diners in sidewalks and curb lanes, the city will bring back the program next year.
“It's time to start a new New York City tradition,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “New Yorkers deserve the chance to enjoy their meals outside next summer, and restaurants deserve the chance to continue building their businesses back. I'm proud to expand such a popular program, and I look forward to participating myself next year.”
Until now, business owners viewed the Open Restaurants program as a temporary solution to a temporary problem. COVID-19 made indoor dining a difficult proposition, so outdoor dining was the solution.
But it’s now apparent that the program’s popularity extends far beyond its application as a solution for pandemic dining—people enjoy dining outdoors, pandemic or not.
What this means is that restaurants will now be looking for more permanent structures and decorations for their outdoor seating needs.
Where many restaurants previously decorated their hastily constructed street barriers with spray paint, they will now be turning to sign makers to professionally decorate their barriers with cut vinyl and digital media graphics.
Other areas where sign and awning makers can help are:
- Sunsation Retractable Awnings: Sidewalk seating becoming a widespread summer tradition means restaurant owners will want to install awnings to provide cover for their customers.
- Barriers: Street barriers are a requirement for street seating. These can be constructed out of fabric backed by a metal frame, similar to winter vestibule construction, or sign materials, such as PVC.
- Lighting: Restaurants can use high quality Greenleaf LED modules as decorative lighting inside their street dining areas to provide a nice ambience.
Video: Open Restaurants Roadway Seating Walk-Through
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