CENTERCITYREPORTS:

OUTDOOR
SEATING 2015
SEPTEMBER 1, 2015

CENTER CITY DISTRICT &

CENTRAL PHILADELPHIA DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
FIND MORE REPORTS AT:

CENTERCITYPHILA.ORG

As Philadelphia has recovered from recession, there has

been steady growth in outdoor seating at food establishments,
other retail locations and in parks and plazas. This has been
driven by job and population growth, increases in conventions and
tourism, an improved retail mix, an enhanced public environment,
and the ever wider use of cell-phones and tablets.
In 1995, when sidewalk seating at restaurants was first legalized,
Center City had no outdoor cafs. Since Center City Districts first
survey in 2001, the number of food establishments with outdoor
seating has increased 429%, from 69 in 2001 to 365 in 2015.1
Outdoor seating attracts more patrons by blurring the boundary
between inside and out, expands seating capacity for businesses,
enhances safety by adding more eyes on the street and
reinforces the image of a thriving downtown. The increased use of
wireless technology also facilitates working or networking socially
while sitting outside.
In the last year alone, there was a 12% increase in outdoor
seating locations: 50% at full-service restaurants, 22% at
sandwich and take-out locations, 11% at coffee shops, and 11%
at non-food locations. Non-food establishments with outdoor
seating are a relatively new trend and include cigar shops, hair
salons, psychics, clothing stores and building plazas. They bring
the total number of outdoor seating locations to 412.
Since 2007, the CCD has also counted the number of chairs
offered by food-related, outdoor cafs, noting a 64% increase

CENTER CITY ADDED 90 NEW OUTDOOR SEATING

LOCATIONS FROM 2014 TO 2015, BRINGING THE
TOTAL NUMBER OF LOCATIONS TO 412.

1: METHODOLOGY: As in previous years, the survey was conducted on foot (or occasionally by bike), mostly between the hours of 11:30 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. Limited surveying was also done during evening hours (5:00 P.M.
to 8:00 P.M.) in Rittenhouse Row, Old City and South Street, areas with a higher number of restaurants that are only open during the evening. Starting in 2013, the survey included the area between South Street and
Vine Street, river to river, whereas earlier years only surveyed between Pine Street and Vine Street and between Front Street and 24th Street. The expansion of the survey area reflects the growth of both Center City
and of outdoor seating establishments.

AM

IN

FR

AN

KL

110
IN

PK

1125

51100

2650

101+

WY

PARKWAY MUSEUMS
SCHUYLKILL RIVER

CAF OTHER

CHAIRS:

FRANKLIN
SQUARE

LOGAN
SQUARE

NORTHWEST: 8%

DELAWARE RIVER

NJ

NORTHEAST: 11%

CRET
PARK
LOVE
PARK

OLD CITY
DILWORTH
PARK

City Hall

MIDTOWN VILLAGE

I-95

MARKET ST

RITTENHOUSE ROW
INDEPENDENCE NATIONAL
HISTORICAL PARK

RITTENHOUSE SQUARE

WASHINGTON
SQUARE

RITTENHOUSE
SQUARE

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS BLVD

BE

WASHINGTON SQUARE

SOUTH STREET WEST

SOUTHEAST: 43%
BROAD ST

SOUTHWEST: 38%

SOUTH STREET EAST

OUTDOOR SEATING LOCATIONS:

from 3,207 to 5,266 seats. Adding non-food related cafs and
building plazas, brings the count to 412 outdoor locations with
seating for 6,056 individuals.
Outdoor seating thrives where mixed-use buildings predominate.
Thus, 81% of the 412 total outdoor seating locations are located
south of Market Street. However, by counting the seats located
on office building plazas, even without adjacent food options, the
percent of total seats counted north of Market Street increased
from 19% in 2014 to 32% in 2015.
Old City, the West Market Office District, Rittenhouse Square and
Parkway Museums District have shown the greatest increase in
the number of outdoor seating locations from 2013 to 2015.
The increases in Rittenhouse Square and Old City are likely tied
to these areas continuing growth as retail and dining centers.
On the other hand, increases in the Parkway Museums and
West Office Market Districts suggest that outdoor seating is
becoming an important amenity in parts of the downtown where it
was previously less common.

412

COUNT OF LOCATIONS WITH OUTDOOR

SEATING BY TYPE:
TYPE

2014

2015

201

205

SANDWICH /TAKEOUT

83

92

COFFEE SHOP

43

45

ICE CREAM, WATER ICE & FROZEN YOGURT

11

14

BAKERY

10

TOTAL FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS WITH

CAF SEATING

348

365

OTHER OUTDOOR SEATING LOCATIONS

21

47

369

412

FULL-SERVICE RESTAURANT

TOTAL LOCATIONS WITH OUTDOOR SEATING

CENTER CITY DISTRICT & CENTRAL PHILADELPHIA DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION WWW.CENTERCITYPHILA.ORG

CENTER CITY OUTDOOR SIDEWALK SEATING

GROWTH OF OUTDOOR CAF SEATING, 2001 TO 2015:

OUTDOOR CAFS

CHAIRS

400

365

6000

350

5,266

5250

300

4500

250

3750

3,207
200

3000

150

2250

100

1500

69
750

50

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

Source: Sidewalk Seating Survey, Center City District

OUTDOOR SEATS:

5,266
CENTER CITY DISTRICT & CENTRAL PHILADELPHIA DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION WWW.CENTERCITYPHILA.ORG

CHANGES
IN NUMBER OF TOTAL OUTDOOR SEATING LOCATIONS BY DISTRICT:
CHANGES IN NUMBER OF TOTAL OUTDOOR SEATING LOCATIONS BY DISTRICT
TOTAL SEATING LOCATIONS

85

100

73

80

48

55

60

SOUTH STREET
EAST

2015

2014

2013

16

25

SOUTH STREET
WEST

20

22

25

28

40

OLD CITY

RITTENHOUSE
SQUARE

MIDTOWN
VILLAGE

RITTENHOUSE
ROW

WASHINGTON
SQUARE

WEST MARKET

PARKWAY
MUSEUMS

Source: Sidewalk Seating Survey, Center City District

Ninety new outdoor seating locations were added between 2014

and 2015; 64% were food-related. Forty-nine locations counted
in the 2014 survey are no long providing outdoor seating in 2015.
While 31 were permanently or temporarily closed, 18 are still in
business but no longer offer sidewalk seating. Some of these
functioning businesses may have chosen not to purchase a
sidewalk seating license, or may have been unable to obtain
one.2 Complaints from some about outdoor seating blocking
sidewalks have motivated the City government to step up
inspections and enforcement in recent years. This may mean that
some restaurants are no longer able to offer sidewalk seating,
or do not want to invest the money and time to ensure that their
sidewalk seating meets the requirements. But overall, despite
some minor inconvenience from sidewalk encroachment,
outdoor cafs have had a very positive effect on the vitality and
appearance of Center City.

Center City Outdoor

Sidewalk Seating by Business Type
SEATING
BY TYPE:

50% FULL-SERVICE RESTAURANT

22% SANDWICH / TAKEOUT /
QUICK SERVICE

11% COFFEE SHOP

11% OTHER
3% ICE CREAM / WATER ICE / FROZEN YOGURT
2% BAKERY
Source: Sidewalk Seating Survey, Center City District

2: In order to offer sidewalk seating, a business must obtain a license from the Department of Licenses and Inspections and pay a $160 fee. Certain regulations must be met so that the outdoor seating does not block
sidewalks or interfere with public transit. While cafs and sidewalk seating generate significant revenue for the City, some businesses set up outdoor seating without paying the fee. By analyzing revenue collected
from licenses, the Office of the Controller concluded that in 2014, the city lost $17,000 in revenue from businesses with unlicensed outdoor seating.

PHOTOGRAPHY: Peter Tobia

CENTER CITY DISTRICT & CENTRAL PHILADELPHIA DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION WWW.CENTERCITYPHILA.ORG