Over the last few years, outdoor dining has helped transform high streets, laneways and neighbourhoods, and public spaces.
Such is the popularity of outdoor dining, it has grown exponentially and become an essential part of Sydney’s dining culture, street vitality and nightlife.
We’ve now taken the step to permanently waive all footpath and on-road outdoor dining fees to provide businesses with certainty and further incentivise outdoor dining – we want to ensure these spaces and the associated benefits continue to thrive in the city.
Making a popular initiative permanent
We first introduced fee waivers and fast track approvals in November 2020 as a measure to support business and help hospitality venues recover from the pandemic. Since then, we’ve approved nearly 1,000 outdoor dining applications, on the road or footpath. This has resulted in an estimated 13,000sqm new space for outdoor dining and support for more than 800 businesses.
“The outdoor dining program has without a doubt been one of the best initiatives the City of Sydney has provided the hospitality industry in recent years,” Nathan Sasi, owner of Bar Copains in Surry Hills said.
“It’s created so much vibrancy around the city and it’s been incredible to see guests enjoy not just our space but many others throughout Sydney rain, hail or shine.
“The dining spaces have not only created a great external atmosphere for venues but they’ve been integral in creating an abundance of jobs for many local businesses.”
Lord Mayor Clover Moore said three-quarters of participating businesses have said the boost in customer numbers meant they needed to hire more employees, with more than a third seeing a 20% increase in turnover.
“The total value of support we have given businesses by waiving footpath and on-street outdoor dining fees since November 2020 is around $20 million, and its real value to our city is immeasurable.”
Expanding from dining to arts and culture
Given the success of the program and the popularity of on-street dining spaces, we’re investigating locations where footpaths can be permanently extended onto the road, enabling quality space for outdoor dining. We’ll also look at the feasibility of using laneways for potential live music and cultural events.
In addition, the application process for outdoor dining has been refined to make it easier for businesses to apply to serve food and beverages to more customers outdoors at their premises.
Businesses interested in participating in the on-road dining program or extending their current permits should apply to the City of Sydney.
Published 1 July 2025
