Latest news with #StateLiquorAuthority
CBS News
26-04-2025
- Business
- CBS News
NYC bar managers frustrated by months-long wait for outdoor liquor licenses
Bar managers in a popular New York City restaurant district say they're losing out on business as they wait for their outdoor liquor licenses to be approved. The State Liquor Authority told CBS News New York most applications are processed within seven to ten days, but business owners on Stone Street in Lower Manhattan say they've been waiting months. "We're taking a major hit" Stone Street is closed to vehicular traffic year-round, but it got caught up in red tape with the city's new outdoor dining regulations, one restaurant manager says. "We've been lumped in with the city streets, and as you can see, we are not a city street. We are not an active street for cars," said Christina Johnston, general manager of Mad Dog & Beans Mexican Cantina. As a result, the restaurant is forced to display "no alcohol" signs on outdoor tables, and customers can only get alcoholic drinks if they're inside the building. Restauranteur Ronan Downs owns five restaurants on the historic cobblestone alley. "They've spoken to our lawyers, and the bills keep mounting up," Downs said. "Yes, we're taking a major hit. But it's also a huge hit for New York City. Thousands of tourists come down here daily, and they're expecting to have a glass of wine, pint of Guinness." He says the fix is simple. "We're hoping that very soon they will finally sign a piece of paper," he said. "We'd like to put our best foot forward and show tourists, people who live here what we have to offer."
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Booze for NYC outdoor dining gets green light after fears restaurants would be dry for summer
It's bottoms up after all. New York restaurants with 'conditional approvals' for outdoor dining will be able to get liquor licenses, the city announced Wednesday — ending fears it would be a boozeless al fresco season for most Big Apple eateries. The State Liquor Authority had required restaurants already have an outdoor dining permit before they could even apply for a liquor license — but a massive backlog of al fresco dining applications under a new city policy created chaos this year. Only seven outdoor liquor licenses had been granted out of 3,000 restaurants hoping to offer outdoor dining this year, many of them with conditional approvals for al fresco while the city worked through the backlog 'We are pleased that the State Liquor Authority worked closely with us to also allow businesses that have received conditional approval to serve alcohol while their applications remain under review,' the DOT said in a statement shared with The Post. 'We applaud their decision, which benefits restaurants and all New Yorkers who love outdoor dining.' The NYC Hospitality Alliance, which represents the city's restaurant and nightlife industry, also praised the decision, with executive director Andrew Rigie calling it a 'reasonable process that ensures outdoor dining remains uninterrupted for restaurants, workers, and New Yorkers and visitors.' Since the DOT began reviewing applications in March 2024, it has fully approved just 47 restaurants. The agency has blamed its hundreds of outdoor dining permits in limbo on the city's mew 'cumbersome' and convoluted process for outdoor dining approvals – which include approvals from the DOT, local community board and city comptroller's office. For sidewalk dining, that process also requires a thumbs-up from a local council member. The process became so drawn out that the DOT began doling out the 'conditional' licenses in February. The estimated 600 roadway dining setups and nearly 1,850 sidewalk setups were operational by April 1 'thanks to NYC DOT's efforts to cut red tape by granting conditional approvals,' the agency said last month. More conditional approvals are expected for restaurants in the coming weeks, the DOT added, though it's unclear when full approvals will be issued.
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New Yorkers facing dry summer as outdoor booze applications lag: ‘Absolute murder'
It could be a long, dry summer in the Big Apple. As New Yorkers prepare for the anticipated return of outdoor dining next week, a key element is missing — booze. Only seven restaurants out of 3,000 hoping to set up al fresco have received outdoor liquor licenses from the State Liquor Authority, meaning thousands may not be able to legally serve alcohol outside. New York's new post-pandemic outdoor dining rules require restaurants to get a permit from the city's Department of Transportation to establish outdoor eating, and cannot ask for an outdoor liquor license from the State Liquor Authority until they get full approval. Since the DOT began reviewing applications in March 2024, it has approved a measly 47 restaurants. 'We're already coming off of a terribly cold winter, and to finally walk into decent weather and not be able to serve our customers with drinks outside is just crippling,' Eytan Sugarman, owner of the famed White Horse Tavern in the West Village, told The Post. The tavern applied for both sidewalk and street dining last year and is still waiting for the green light. The restaurant has so far only received conditional approval to put up a street shed to open April 1, according to the DOT website. It is unclear how much longer a full approval could take. A conditional approval is not enough to apply to the state for a liquor license, and Sugarman decided not to risk serving illegally. 'Other people do it. I don't fault them, they're desperate,' he said. 'You lose every competitive edge, and it's absolute murder.' The Post witnessed several bars and restaurants apparently flouting the rules this week, with summer still months away. Just down the block from the tavern, Dante – who is also waiting on full approval according to the DOT website – was serving drinks on a packed sidewalk patio, as were half a dozen others around the neighborhood. And down in Little Italy, eateries clogged up sidewalks with illegal tables, even taking parking spots to set up tables al fresco. None of these restaurants had outdoor liquor licenses. What was noticeably absent from the Big Apple's streets was the commotion of construction workers building the dining shacks, with only a handful having been erected so far. The DOT says it has issued conditional approvals to another 547 restaurants to build street shacks, which would open April 1, as it works through the logjam. 'If they can't serve alcohol, they're not going to make much money,' said Joseph Levey, a lawyer representing Sugarman and about 100 other restaurants still waiting on full approvals. 'It's staggering. The city is so far behind the eight ball.' Some New Yorkers have a hard time picturing outdoor dining without booze. 'Then what's the point? That would not be ideal to go somewhere and not be able to order a drink on a summer afternoon,' said Morgan Hale, 29. 'I think outdoor dining definitely makes New York summers less insufferable,' said Halle Lindholm, 23. Others however are thrilled the booze-less summer could be bombing the return of what many New Yorkers have called 'rat infested' street shacks. 'Hello, goodbye,' said West Village resident Poonam Srivastava. 'They shouldn't build them. We don't live in a food court, we live in a city.' 'The sidewalk patios are great – people crammed in the sheds not so much. The roadside sheds are a bit of an eyesore,' said Matt Pearson, 32.
