Two streetery prototypes rolled into LOVE Park on Tuesday, giving Philadelphians a chance to sit down, grab a bite from a food truck, and tell the city what they think outdoor dining in public space should actually look like. The structures are planted in the parking lane near 1501 JFK Boulevard, and they're sticking around through at least Thanksgiving while officials collect feedback on design.
The installation is the latest move in Dine Outdoors Philadelphia, the city's program overseeing outdoor dining setups in public spaces including sidewalks and parking lanes, according to NBC10 Philadelphia. Both streeteries are open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the city wants responses submitted by Nov. 23. As 6abc Philadelphia reported, the public will have a chance to view the designs in person and weigh in directly, rather than just reacting to renderings online.
Hungry visitors won't go without options while they browse. Food trucks are on hand to serve food at the LOVE Park site, per Audacy, which also confirmed the prototypes will stay up through at least Thanksgiving.
What Happens After the Feedback Comes In
Once the city reviews what the public has to say, the plan is to make both prototype designs available for restaurants to download for free, the station's report notes. Restaurants aren't locked into those templates, though — they can also develop their own streetery designs, but those custom builds still have to go through city review and approval before they can go up outside a business.
That approval process traces back to rules the Streets Department put in place when it launched the Outdoor Dining Program in November 2022, according to Billy Penn. Under current city guidance, a streetery has to sit in the parking lane directly abutting the licensed restaurant it serves, and applications must be renewed annually online through the eCLIPSE system. Restaurants that want to actually build a streetery structure also need Art Commission approval along with a building permit.
A Steep Drop From the Pandemic-Era Boom
The prototype push comes against the backdrop of a permanent streetery program that has struggled to gain traction since the city tightened its rules. Fewer than 50 restaurants had applied under those stricter permitting rules, representing less than 10 percent of the outdoor dining spots that once dotted the city, according to WHYY. Separately, Billy Penn reported that only 14 businesses held active streetery licenses, a steep drop from the roughly 800 streeteries that were operating at the height of the pandemic — the two outlets' figures differ somewhat in scope, but both point to the same sharp decline.
Cost and time are part of what's scaring businesses off. Billy Penn detailed how Jerry's Bar spent nine months and $16,000 just navigating the licensing process, on top of the $10,000 it had already spent building its original streetery structure. It's the kind of math that makes a free, pre-approved city design — the kind now sitting in LOVE Park — look a lot more appealing to a small restaurant owner.
City officials have acknowledged the permitting system may need a rework. WHYY reported an official saying there is a possibility officials will review those rules and regulations and ask to change some of them, and Billy Penn reported that a proposed dialogue around the issue could pave the way for legislation giving business owners more flexibility. Whether that translates into lower costs or a faster timeline for restaurants remains to be seen, but for now, the city's focus is on what happens at LOVE Park between now and Nov. 23 — and whether the crowds strolling past the food trucks like what they see.
