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Over the past six months, NYC restaurateurs say that customers choosing to dine outdoors wanted to know two things above all else: Is the restaurant’s outdoor setup heated and how warm would it keep them? Hefty propane gas heaters, made legal for restaurant use this winter while indoor dining was banned, were nearly a requirement to driving reservations in colder temperatures.
Now, the emergency propane heating program hailed as a boon for restaurants when it launched last October is coming to a close in the next few weeks. While sub-freezing weather has subsided, heater use could still be good for business on cooler spring and summer nights, restaurateurs say, and many expect that customers will continue to request outdoor dining seats in the upcoming months and beyond because many people are still uncomfortable dining indoors. Concerned that the city may drop the program altogether after the emergency allowance expires at the end of May