No More Alcohol Takeouts and Deliveries In New York

This weekend onwards, New Yorkers will no longer be able to enjoy the pandemic perks of taking their booze to-go, or having it delivered.

In a special allowance that ended this Friday, New Yorkers will no longer be able to order takeout and delivery cocktails from bars and restaurants. The special COVID-19 state of emergency order that allowed the drinks to arrive at doorsteps saw its end, primarily due to full reopenings.

Source: TouchBistro

Announcing the decision, the NYS Liquor Authority tweeted, “Licensees please be advised that with the ending of our state of emergency and the return to pre-pandemic guidelines, the temporary pandemic-related privileges for to-go and delivery of alcoholic beverages will end after June 24.”

This being said, restaurant and bar owners aren’t too happy with the decision, considering the fact that they haven’t economically recovered from the pandemic, and that people are still not very comfortable with stepping out often. “It’s a real shame the state legislature didn’t extend alcohol to go to support struggling restaurants in their long recovery, while also keeping the policy which has been so popular with the public,” said Andrew Rigie, executive director of the NYC Hospitality Alliance, as reported by the NY Post.

Meanwhile, a poll was taken by the New York State Restaurant Association last month also showed that 78 percent of New Yorkers want to keep the rule allowing to-go drinks at restaurants and bars going.