City Council Considers Legalizing Sunday Morning Brunch Outdoors (Yes, it is Illegal)

By Paul Bisceglio Add this to your list of laws you never knew you participated in breaking: outdoor brunch in the city is illegal on Sunday mornings. The obscure 1971 law that forbids restaurants from serving customers outside on Sundays before noon has long been ignored, but recent complaints of crowded sidewalks by residents in Greenpoint, Brooklyn prompted the city to crack down on violators. According to CBS New York, the city ticketed one business and issued a summons to another. In support of local business owners and brunch lovers, lawmakers have introduced a bill to city council that would allow patrons to dine at sidewalk tables on Sundays starting at 10 a.m. "New Yorkers will not be denied their Sunday brunch in the beautiful weather," said Council Member Dan Garodnick in a statement. "This regulation is outdated, widely disregarded and hostile to business and brunch-loving New Yorkers. It needs to change." According to CBS, the Sunday brunch bill is widely supported and expected to pass.