Councilmember pushes for easier outdoor dining permits in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Philadelphia City Council is considering a bill that would make it easier for restaurants to set up outdoor dining, a move supporters say will boost business and cut through unnecessary red tape.

City Councilmember Rue Landau is pushing to make the process for restaurants to get approval for outdoor dining easier.

For many small businesses, sidewalk cafés are a focal point - something that draws diners in and acts as an advertisement.

"They create energy, they create comfort. Some people see activity outside of a restaurant and it gives them confidence to go in," said Ryan Mulholland, director of operations for CookNSolo, which runs restaurants like Zahav and Jaffa Bar.

Mulholland spoke before City Council's Streets and Services Committee on Tuesday, urging members to vote "yes" on a bill to streamline outdoor dining approval.

"There is an uncertainty out there - maybe I can have tables outside, maybe the neighborhood says 'no,'" he said.

The bill, sponsored by Councilmember-at-Large Rue Landau, aims to eliminate excessive red tape. Under current rules, restaurants need their district councilmember to introduce legislation, which then goes through committee and multiple votes - a process that adds significant time.

"They have to introduce legislation, it has to go through the Streets Committee, it gets voted on out of there, it gets voted on again. It adds extra time," Landau said.

If approved, restaurants would still need to comply with L&I, Health Department, and ADA regulations.

"This is a win-win for businesses - they get to hire more people, and it's more tax dollars to the city of Philadelphia," Landau said.

The bill passed out of committee on Tuesday and will likely go up for a full council vote on December 11.

Some members may push back, citing a desire to maintain oversight of the process.