Outdoor dining is making a return. Starting April 1, restaurants approved to build a sidewalk or street set up will be able to seat customers outside.

"I like it. You know, when it was there, I really enjoyed it," said Nandini Roy of Park Slope. "It was just nice to kind of be outside, especially if the weather's warmed up."

Outdoor dining sheds became a lifeline for restaurants during the pandemic. But last year, a new law limited the dining option from April to November, a big financial hit for places like Poppy's in Brooklyn Heights.

"When we don't have it, I would say easily it's like 15 to 20% down in sales just because we don't have the seating," said store manager Maddy Gentile. It's one of dozens of eateries across the borough approved for an outdoor dining permit.

"We're able to put our structure up the second week of April," said Gentile. According to her, outdoor dining is a plus for both customers and the business.

"We're a very small space. We only have three tables and a bar, so we can only accommodate so many sitting customers at one time," said Gentile "The outdoor space just really opens up that space for us to be able to accommodate customers."