Queens, NY – Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas was joined by Senator Ramos, Assemblymembers Fernandez, and Cruz, local restaurant owners and workers, the New York State Restaurant Association (NYSRA), the Latino Bar and Restaurant Association on Wednesday afternoon for a rally in support of alcohol-to-go. The purpose of the rally was to urge the State to make alcohol-to-go a permanent feature in the final 2022-2023 FY budget.

The event was held on the second anniversary of New York State on PAUSE, the emergency orders that shuttered all restaurants at the beginning of the pandemic. Under New York’s state of emergency during the COVID-19 pandemic, restaurants and bars were allowed to sell alcoholic beverages to-go. A survey conducted by the state association in May 2021 found more than 78% of New Yorkers support alcohol-to-go becoming permanent.

Once the emergency order ended, so did the policy that allowed for this reliable revenue stream. Pre-pandemic, New York's thriving restaurant industry stimulated $4B in tax revenue for the state, and alcohol-to-go will play a key role in building back revenue. The industry stands behind efforts to make it permanent and is calling for this wildly popular lifeline for restaurants to be included in the final budget, which must be approved by March 31, 2022.

Quote:

“New York prides itself on having some of the greatest restaurants and bars in the world. These last two years have made it nearly impossible for many restaurants to stay afloat, and many small business owners had to close their doors. Despite these challenges, restaurants not only kept our communities fed but often went above and beyond what they could do. In my district, many struggling restaurants showed up for our communities by donating food to hospital workers on the frontlines,” said Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas. We owe these pillars of our communities a lifeline, and alcohol-to-go proved to be just that. I urge my colleagues and the Governor to make the successful program a permanent feature of New York life by including it in the enacted state budget.