At the beginning of the pandemic, outdoor dining looked like a shamble of folding tables quickly pushed into bike lanes and onto sidewalks. But now, after more than half a year, al-fresco pandemic meals include colorful fences, outdoor heaters, and even, in some cities, dining bubbles. New York City owes some of its most ingenious outdoor dining setups to DB Partners, the city’s first professional streetery-building company. 

When the pandemic started, DB Partners co-owner Arsean Maqami worked in office construction, but as demand in this sector flatlined and outdoor dining skyrocketed, Maqami pivoted to a new realm of construction. As you can imagine, the company is in incredibly high demand. Their projects are subcontracted to NYWAY Contracting and the team has built nearly 20 streeteries so far with more than three dozen in the works.

It takes just one day to build their standard, pre-designed outdoor dining structure, but more and more restaurants are approaching DB for custom jobs. They’ve worked with establishments like Atla in Noho and the Copper Still in the East Village to replicate the ambiance of indoor dining, even in an outdoor setting.

The cost of a streetery ranges from $5,000 to $25,000. A basic wooden structure won’t cost you too much, but for $20,000 you get heating, painting, floors, and lights. Maqami told CityLab that most clients are referred by word of mouth and surprised at how affordable top-notch outdoor dining set up is. The biggest challenge is adjusting construction to keep up with city and state dining regulations. 

Keeping a restaurant alive during the pandemic is no easy feat, but with the help of a professional streetery builder, it’s certainly more feasible. Custom outdoor dining construction is something none of us would have even thought of before the pandemic, but DB Partners is a great solution for helping restaurants stay afloat and keeping residents comfortably fed.