Outdoor dining expansion on Newbury Street (2020–2022)
During the pandemic, Boston allowed restaurants to set up tables in former road and parking space, and Newbury Street's outdoor dining program became one of the city's most visible. The city made the program permanent in modified form starting in 2022, with seasonal setups allowed each spring through fall.
Restaurants gained more seats and visibility, while some retail tenants complained about lost parking and space on the sidewalk.
The program cemented dining as a core part of Newbury Street's identity and economics, encouraging more food concepts to lease space there.
byChae's license for eating and take-out service arrives in a corridor where dining has become a permanent, structural feature rather than a pandemic stopgap.
