Toronto's Curbside Restaurants & Cafés Could Look Wildly Different This Summer

After taking over the sidewalks and streets of the city last year, the curbside patios in Toronto are returning this summer. 

But while the CaféTO program is coming back, there are a few important rule changes that could have a lot of restaurants looking different this year.

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According to the new 2021 CaféTO handbook, the curbside cafés will be popping up a lot earlier this year. 

Restaurants can set their street-lane patios up in May 2021, two months earlier than they showed up in 2020.

Not only that, but restaurants no longer have to bring their heavy furniture, lights and planter pots inside overnight, which means that restaurants have more freedom to really settle into their curbside spots. 

Items can only be left outdoors if they're heavy enough to not blow away and not obstructing storm drains or pedestrians. 

Restaurants can also swap out the city-issued pylons and connectors and provide their own barriers made of planter boxes or fencing — as long as they're built within certain guidelines.

Registration for the 2021 CaféTO program is open now, and we're just a few months away from being able to see the city full of patios and patrons again!