DC’s alfresco fans have been alarmed by the fast decline of streateries—those pandemic-era structures that provide outdoor dining where previously there was none. In November, strict new DC Department of Transportation rules went into effect that make the outside dining spaces more expensive and complicated to maintain. Nearly 80 percent of the city’s streateries have gone away since then. The LeDroit Park coffee shop and eatery Royal is one place that has managed to navigate the changes. We asked owner Paul Carlson to walk us through how he did it. A Covid Solution Royal’s initial streatery was a lifesaver when the pandemic prevented indoor dining. Even after things returned to normal, it proved to be an important expansion. “Our location is very small, and so when we got the streatery during Covid, it opened up a new world for us,” Carlson says. The emergency streatery rules weren’t initially intended to be permanent, but the structures proved so popular that DDOT ended up letting them continue. Related Will DC’s New Streatery Rules Make Them Less Controversial? Complicated Regulations In December 2024, DDOT announced new rules and a different permitting process for restaurants wanting to keep their streateries up. Most businesses would need approval through a hearing process, and requirements now include a specific type of barrier to protect the structures from traffic and an annual fee of $15 per square foot. There’s a long list of specifications, such as being ten feet from fire hydrants and 22 feet from residential-building entrances. They also can’t block traffic. The rules are too onerous for a lot of restaurants, many owners say. Carlson had planned ahead, reaching out to DDOT as it was developing the new rules and setting aside money for a potential new streatery over the last few years. Collaborating With the City Carlson had been working with architects on a redesigned streatery even before the new rules were announced, and he asked DDOT for feedback on his drawings early on, before the department finalized its plan. Carlson says he was in “constant communication” with the city, and when hearings on permanent approvals finally began, Royal was on the agenda for the first one. After receiving approval from DDOT, Royal was able to move forward with its plans. The Structure Goes Up Royal built its upgraded streatery in the same spot as the old one. The rules require the ground underneath to be accessible for cleaning or in case of emergencies, so its floor panels are on hydraulic lifts, allowing it to be elevated. The entire setup can be dismantled in a day if need be. That was an issue with the previous streatery, which had to be partially torn down when a sewer-line crack was in need of repairs. A Happy Ending Royal’s new, approved streatery opened in May. Its success has been a bright spot at a time when most streatery news has been bad, with popular destinations like Purple Patch and Wonderland Ballroom recently forced to take down their dining structures. For Royal, things worked out due to a combination of painstaking planning and luck with its location. Now it has a sleek outdoor area with atmospheric lighting and an attractive sloped roof under which patrons can happily drink their passionfruit spritzes and snack on arepas. This article appears in the September 2026 issue of Washingtonian.The post What Does It Take to Keep a DC Streatery Going Now? first appeared on Washingtonian. ...read more read less