August 15, 2023
re-ply 2.0 Launches in New York City
Re-ply – the initiative founded by BVN’s NYC collective - announce the launch of a new service to coincide with new city regulations around outdoor dining.
In 2020, the very first re-ply pop-up restaurant opened on the streets of Manhattan. It was all about “repurposing a moment”. The outdoor dining structure was made from upcycled plywood boards that barricaded up shopfronts months earlier during unrest at the start of the Covid pandemic.
Moving diners outside, through a program backed by the city called Open Restaurants, was seen as a viable way to help struggling eateries survive. re-ply’s initial imperative was to produce a sustainable, cost-effective kit of outdoor furniture and planters to allow restaurants to quickly re-open for socially distanced outdoor dining.
The idea took off. Re-ply flourished. Plywood pop-ups appeared across New York City and beyond, hosting fine diners, wine bars, festival venues, coworking spaces and cultural events.
Three years later, a new moment is shaping the architectural dynamic of the city. The launch of re-ply 2.0 coincides with new city regulations that will mandate a seasonal outdoor dining program, requiring restaurants to take down streetside structures annually.
Re-ply 2.0 brings cleaner, greener seasonal dining to the streets of NYC
Open Restaurants (always intended to be a stop-gap program) helped revive New York’s dining scene. But some residents said the proliferation of temporary and makeshift sidewalk structures also helped give New York’s infamous rat population a not-needed boost.
Poor garbage disposal practices by restaurants have been cited as a primary reason for rat infestations. Issues around noise, overcrowding and incompatibilities with street infrastructure have also generated controversy in some communities.
To address these concerns, New York City Council is advancing with new regulations to make the outdoor dining program permanent but shifted to a seasonal model – with streetside dining allowed in the warmer months and paused over the winter.
Enter re-ply 2.0. A full-service solution that allows venues to comply with the new regulations and host diners outdoors in uniquely attractive, atmospheric and weather-proof surroundings.
Cedric Vongerichten’s Wayan restaurant in NoLIta was our first full install in
July 2020, with our updated re-install in 2023.
Re-ply’s new approach to outdoor dining deploys modular, customisable structures that feature lifting sidewalk-level platforms, recycled materials, and a simple yet eye-catching design adaptable to individual restaurants’ aesthetics.
The structures solve the five major challenges facing outdoor dining spaces in New York City:
- Rats and hygiene: re-ply’s rat-proof structures include barriers made from rodent-resistant recycled aluminium, and the lifting platforms ensure that the street area beneath the structure is easily cleaned and maintained
- Winter storage: New regulations will require outdoor dining structures to be stored during the winter months. Re-ply offers easy disassembly and reassembly and winter storage for customers
- Noise: Noise complaints from neighbours are a frequent headache for restaurateurs and residents. Re-ply roofs are the only outdoor dining roofs featuring acoustic absorption, making for a better dining experience and reducing neighbourhood noise
- Accessibility: All re-ply structures feature a hinged wheelchair ramp and are fully wheelchair accessible
- ● Waste containerisation: Re-ply offers design-minded trash containerisation as an add-on to all dining structures. Re-ply trash containers are currently live in SoHo in partnership with the SoHo BID
“At re-ply, we’ve been working closely with restaurant owners since 2020 to build beautiful, safe and comfortable dining structures and to navigate the unique challenges of outdoor dining in New York City,” said Nikita Notowidigdo, co-founder of re-ply. “We’re excited to launch our new seasonal model and to provide turn-key service, winter storage, and customisable design to restaurateurs across the five boroughs.”
Re-ply is the only company offering a fully serviced rental model for outdoor dining structures. Re-ply provides tear-down for existing dining sheds, on-site assembly, maintenance of the structure throughout the outdoor dining season, and disassembly and winter storage. The new model minimises the potential waste in seasonal tear-downs of outdoor dining structures while ensuring that restaurants have reliable, clean, and beautifully-designed outdoor seating year after year.
About Re-ply
Re-ply was founded in 2020 by BVN’s Nikita Notowidigdo, Nick Flutter and Bill Dowzer. Re-ply’s original series of recycled plywood dining structures can be found at notable New York City restaurants, including Wayan, Nami Nori, Gramercy Tavern and Scarpetta.
To learn more about re-ply 2.0’s pilot program, visit: https://re-ply.org