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DineOut NYC

New York, NY

Public Work

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we partnered with Melba Wilson and the New York City Department of Transportation to establish DineOut NYC, an adaptable and modular outdoor dining system that would allow customers to dine safely and comfortably, and provide businesses with a crucial lifeline to remain in business.

Client
New York City Department of Transportation
Project Category
Public Work
Selected Awards
Melbas outdoor dining structure on NYC street.
Craft house outdoor dining structure.

Drawing from open-air cafes and our own history in restaurant design, the DineOut NYC prototype launched at Harlem’s iconic Melba’s Restaurant in June 2020. Addressing essential elements such as flooring, furniture, lighting, equipment, and sanitation, the design demonstrated the possibilities of outdoor dining, setting New York City restaurants on a path to, quite literally, take to the streets.

Outdoor dining structures.
People eating in DineOut Bronx outdoor street dining pavilions designed by Rockwell Group
Over the ensuing months, the program grew to include dozens of restaurants across the five boroughs, a format for communal outdoor dining, the development of restaurant partitions, an indoor dining template, and a winter heating initiative.
Children and a parent painting a mural of dim sum at DineOut Mott Street designed by Rockwell Group
Exterior of restaurant and sidewalk DineOut seating designed by Rockwell Group
People spray painting logos onto outdoor planters at DineOut Bronx designed by Rockwell Group