To boost outdoor dining, Philly has created two government-approved streetery prototypes
The prototypes will be on display in LOVE Park through Thanksgiving, and the city is asking for feedback.
More than three years after a crackdown on streeteries, the City of Philadelphia is preparing to expand outdoor dining options for local restaurants.
As of today, the city has installed two prototypes for streeteries — aka outdoor dining structures that are permitted to take over parking spaces — in LOVE Park to solicit feedback from the public.
The prototypes, which are designed in accordance with an executive order from Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, are on raised platforms and include built-ins for greenery, according to renderings on the city’s website.
Both will be on display in the parking lane near 1501 John F. Kennedy Blvd. through at least Thanksgiving. People are encouraged to submit feedback by Nov. 23 about the prototypes’ safety, design, layout, and ability to blend in with surroundings. QR codes placed on tables inside each structure have links for submissions.
Once the public’s feedback is evaluated, the prototype designs will be available for restaurant operators to download for free on the City of Philadelphia’s website, according to a news release.
Using the city-approved streetery designs is not required. Philly restaurants are still allowed to design their own streeteries and submit them for city approval, the release said.
“We heard from restaurants that this [program] would be beneficial, and we listened,” the release said. “Outdoor dining is an important part of Philadelphia’s restaurant scene and neighborhood commercial corridors. By developing standard designs and making them available at no cost, the City aims to make the process easier for restaurants while creating outdoor dining spaces that are safe, accessible and welcoming for everyone.”
Under the Mayor Jim Kenney administration, the city rolled back outdoor dining regulations during the COVID-19 pandemic to help restaurants survive without indoor seating. At its peak, 860 Philly establishments had streeteries.
Then in January 2023, the city created a new permitting process for streeteries that requires architectural renderings, approvals from both the Streets Department and the Department of Licenses and Inspections, and a $1,750 annual licensing fee.
At the time, the requirements forced many restaurants to spend thousands of dollars dismantling their streeteries. Many told The Inquirer they had no plans to reapply.
There are just 40 active streetery licenses in Philly as Oct. 2026, according to L&I’s business license dashboard, up from 28 in November of last year.
“The current outdoor dining licensing process in Philadelphia is characterized by complexity and high cost, which pose significant barriers for businesses seeking to utilize outdoor dining opportunities,” Controller Christy Brady wrote in an August 2024 report that called for the city to simplify the streetery application process and lower licensing fees.
The report found that cost of licensing on top of insurance premiums, hiring architectures, constructions, and potential last-minute teardowns was prohibiting restaurants from applying.
