Open Plans 267d ago

We sat down with Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso at RAS Plant Based in Brooklyn to discuss the need for year-round curbside dining in NYC. We talked about: 🍽️ Reynoso’s experience working in food service 🏛️Types of legislation the city can pass to make it easier for restaurant owners to operate their businesses with outdoor dining ⚖️Equity in outdoor dining 💬And more!! 🌱Plus a special appearance from Milka Regalli, RAS Plant Based’s owner, who shared how the outdoor dining program saved their business when getting started At its peak, over 12,500 restaurants utilized curbside dining. Now? The number of restaurants participating in the program has significantly diminished due to seasonal restrictions, new fees, and bureaucratic red tape. The pandemic era Open Restaurants program proved our curb lanes are valuable public space that can support local businesses and create thousands of dining opportunities. However, the City Council has now limited it to April-November only, forcing businesses to store equipment for four months or more – something most can't afford to do. 📢 Small businesses are struggling and New Yorkers are losing beloved neighborhood dining options. Learn more: https://www.openplans.org/curbside-dining Time stamps: 00:30 What is the iconic NYC food? 01:15 Favorite part of dining outside 01:52 An awesome outdoor dining set up 02:30 Bagel order 02:55 Choose just one cuisine to eat for the rest of your life 03:10 How could the current outdoor dining program be improved? 04:10 How can outdoor dining help restaurants with the issues they face? 06:18 Have you ever worked in food service before? 06:54 What kinds of legislation can the city pass to make it easier for restaurant owners to operate their business with outdoor dining? 08:08 Equity in Outdoor dining 09:09 What is your favorite condiment on sandwiches? 10:32 QUIZ on the original outdoor dining program 11:27 Favorite open street in Brooklyn 11:50 Brief conversation with restaurant owner Milka Regalli Follow us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/openplansnyc/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@openplans X: https://x.com/OpenPlans BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/openplans.org LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/open-plans-nyc