NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday stopped by a wine bar in Brooklyn to make her case for drinks to-go.
"We saw that this was a critical revenue stream, this is what kept people afloat during those dark, dark months and years of the pandemic and we said there has been a change in people's attitude, there's an expectation now, so why set us backwards," Hochul said during a press conference at Therapy Wine Bar 2.0 in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
The governor wants to permanently allow bars and restaurants to sell to-go drinks, which does not sit well with liquor store owners, who argue it would be harmful to their business.
“We believe that opening the door for large national franchises and restaurant chains, as well as tens of thousands of prepared food sellers across the state to begin selling to-go wine and liquor creates a scenario that is untenable, impossible to regulate and enforce, and will threaten the livelihood of thousands in our industry," the Metropolitan Package Store Association said in a statement last month.
Hochul, however, believes legalizing drinks to-go, which had been allowed temporarily amid the pandemic, could help revitalize New York City's struggling bars and restaurants.
"We think about how hard the restaurant and the hospitality industry was hit during this pandemic. We lost, at one point, 64% of our workers, it was just devastating," Hochul said. "How we find our way back and to reenergize this whole industry will really be a signal that New York is back when every single restaurant that was shutdown, every single bar, every single hotel, everything is back, but back even better than before."
"During the pandemic I was out in the street most nights and I saw firsthand the lifeline that drinks to-go gave to small businesses, but I also saw that they recognized that was a revenue source for them that could be very, very helpful in the future," said Vincent Bradley, head of the State Liquor Authority.
Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso is also a fan.
"I can't tell you how many to-go drinks we got during the pandemic that were extremely valuable," Reynoso said.
Max Bookman with the New York City Hospitality Alliance raises a glass to the governor.
"I have a 2 1/2 year old at home and I think some people can appreciate this, you know, when she goes to bed, my partner and I, we could use a drink," Bookman said.
The governor also wants to revamp Prohibition Era liquor laws and cut red tape, streamline the application process and modernize the State Liquor Authority by setting up an electronic application system to eliminate the need for snail mail service and manual data entry.
The governor additionally proposed hiring more State Liquor Authority workers to attack a backlog of liquor license applications, of which there are about 75,000 per year. The governor said the agency has 114 employees and only 30 dedicated to review the tens of thousands of applications.
"New York's nightlife and hospitality industry are second to none, and our state cannot truly come back from this pandemic until we revitalize this crucial sector of our economy and the hundreds of thousands of jobs it provides," Hochul said. "We owe it to our small businesses to provide them with the resources and regulatory framework they need to grow and thrive, which is why is it's important that we reform and modernize the State Liquor Authority. This is just one of several steps we are taking to help small businesses come back from the pandemic stronger than ever before."
Hochul has already taken some steps to help struggling bars and restaurants, including allowing businesses in the city to get temporary permits to serve alcohol.
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