City of Cambridge Announces Expanded Outdoor Dining to Continue

The City of Cambridge today announced updates to its Outdoor Dining Policy that extends expanded outdoor dining in Cambridge once the Commonwealth’s COVID-19 Relief Measures expire.

After months of planning and working with stakeholders, the City has issued a new policy expanding its outdoor dining program that existed prior to the pandemic to include certain popular relief measures that were implemented during the pandemic.

Highlights of this new policy include the use of the public streets for outdoor dining, the continued use of the sidewalk and the ability to extend continuously beyond the footprint of the brick and mortar, and the expansion of the patio heater program citywide

“Throughout the pandemic, outdoor dining has been a lifesaver for many of our restaurants, and a great opportunity for our community to come together safely,” said Cambridge City Manager Louis A. DePasquale. “Creating this new City policy that allows for the continuation of these expanded relief measures is another important step as our small business community continues to work their way back from the impacts of this pandemic.”

Earlier this Fall, the City of Cambridge announced it would be extending the temporary outdoor dining licenses through April 1, 2022, which is in line with the State’s expiration date of COVID-19 relief measures for outdoor dining. Since June 2020, over 250 establishments in Cambridge have expanded their outdoor dining with over 100 expanding into the roadway or into an adjacent parking lot.

The Public Works and Traffic, Parking and Transportation departments will be releasing a new combined outdoor dining application for the use of the public way. A fact sheet with more information about the City’s Outdoor Dining Policy is available here. If restaurants have any questions or concerns, they can contact the Cambridge License Commission at license@cambridgema.gov.