Philly wants to make outdoor dining easier ahead of the FIFA World Cup

State of play: With the arrival of Michelin recognition in Philly, city lawmakers have taken steps to protect and enhance Philly's restaurants, including pushing forward a ban on reservation scalpers.

• But Philly's tightly controlled outdoor dining regulations have remained a pain point for restaurants since the city adopted tougher restrictions on "streeteries," which were popular during the pandemic.

The big picture: Councilmember Rue Landau introduced a bill last month that would loosen regulations on outdoor cafes, enabling them to operate in dozens of spots across Philly where they're not currently allowed.

• Landau's bill would also eliminate one big hurdle: the requirement that restaurants and coffee shops seek city lawmakers' permission to open the outdoor cafes.
• Unlike streeteries, outdoor cafes involve only sidewalk seating but still require a license to run.

By the numbers: More than 280 restaurants currently hold outdoor cafe licenses, Landau's spokesperson, Alyssa Moore, tells Axios.

How it works: Under the current rules, city lawmakers must pass enabling legislation for each outdoor cafe before restaurants can obtain the licenses.

• The process has caused significant delays for businesses, which sometimes spend months haggling with city licensing officials over the exact specifications of their cafes, Ben Fileccia of the Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association tells Axios.
• Some just accept fines for operating unlicensed cafes because it's cheaper and faster than navigating the burdensome bureaucratic red tape, Fileccia says.

Driving the news: The bill passed out of committee at Tuesday's hearing after several restaurant advocates and civic and city leaders testified in support of it. The measure will go before the full council at its next meeting.

• Lawmakers must vote to formally adopt the bill before sending it to Mayor Cherelle Parker's desk.

Inside the bill: The new rules would exclude four districts and apply only to about three dozen corridors across the city after some council members worried the rules could enable "nuisance" businesses to expand their operations.

• The proposal also requires restaurants to maintain a certain amount of walking space for pedestrians on sidewalks and only operate the outdoor cafes during certain hours.
• Restaurants would face daily fines of $300 for not following the rules.

What they're saying: Councilmember Cindy Bass, who insisted on excluding her 8th District over noise and other concerns, said at the hearing that the proposal could add more to city enforcement officials' plates when they're already having difficulty enforcing current laws.

• But Landau said the "commonsense" reform is needed to streamline the process so restaurants can take advantage of "peak tourism season" as Philly prepares for next year's slate of big events for the nation's 250th birthday, including hosting the MLB All-Star Game.

The new outdoor cafe rules would align Philly with other "world-class" dining cities and generate more tax dollars for the city, Fileccia says.

• "It's a win-win all around," he says. "We have to put our best foot forward in 2026."