Restaurants selling alcohol to go will 'destroy' us, NY liquor stores say

Drinks-to-go legislation

Alcohol-to-go was a popular alternative for bars and restaurants during the start of the pandemic. But that ended in 2021. Will Albany bring it back?

NEW YORK - The battle to bring back "drinks to go" in New York continues to brew. Alcohol-to-go orders helped bars and restaurants during the start of the pandemic.

The program was made possible due to emergency COVID-19 powers under then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo. After the emergency order ended, the program expired.

Restaurants and bars across the state are calling on lawmakers to make the program permanent. Restaurant owners say the program was a lifeline.

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"I saw probably 30% of my tickets adding alcohol to go, and it's a probably 30 to 40% add-on to that price of the check," Dan Connor, the owner of Donovan's Pub in Queens, said. "So it was a huge saving grace for us."

However, not everyone is on board.

Michael Correra, a liquor store owner and the executive director of the Metropolitan Package Store Association, said he fears drinks to go will negatively impact their industry.

"This is an attack on our industry. We are all working hard to survive. We were open during the pandemic," Correra said. "We are an essential business. I'm sorry, but this would destroy our industry."

Lawmakers are once again considering legislation to bring back drinks to go. During her state of the budget address, Gov. Kathy Hochul expressed her support for making the program permanent.

Gov. Hochul to reinstate 'Drinks to-go'

New York restaurant owners got some welcome news during Gov. Hochul's State of the State address on Wednesday, as she said she is making the return of alcohol to-go sales a priority for her administration.