Gov. Kathy Hochul clearly doesn't want Buffalo Bills fans to run out of beer and booze right as the NFL playoffs are about to start.
The governor announced Wednesday that New Yorkers can again start getting alcoholic drinks to go from bars and restaurants.
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Hochul said in her State of the State address she will permanently revive the policy allowing off-premises consumption that was in effect from March 2020 through June, while New York was under a formal Covid-19 state of emergency.
The to-go service was popular with tavern owners and patrons alike at a time when capacity in bars and restaurants was strictly limited. Tavern owners said to-go sales, including delivery, made up 10% or more of their business at that point of the pandemic and they had urged the state to continue to allow the sales before the program ended.
Hochul's announcement reviving the program Wednesday in her address drew considerable interest on social media. The governor's own Twitter account posted an image of Hochul toasting, "Cheers, New York," as she held an unidentified drink.
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"We're also going to do something bars and restaurants have been asking for, to once again allow the sale of to-go drinks – a critical revenue stream during the lean times last year," Hochul said in her prepared remarks.
Details on the policy, including when it will take effect, were not revealed.
Representatives of the restaurant and spirits industries welcomed the policy shift.
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"These are difficult times that are not letting up. The restaurant industry is being battered once again by another wave of Covid-19, colder weather restricting dining options and widespread staffing challenges," Melissa Fleischut, president and CEO of the New York State Restaurant Association, said in a statement. "New York State must find ways to support the industry and 78% of New Yorkers want alcohol-to-go to become permanent."
Lisa Hawkins, a spokeswoman for the Distilled Spirits Council, noted 16 states and the District of Columbia have made cocktails to go permanent and 15 other states have extended the policy through the pandemic.
"Legislators in these states have been extremely receptive to cocktails to-go because they recognize that restaurants help boost jobs and tourism, and generate important tax revenue for the state," Hawkins said in an email.
