Boro Park Restaurants with Liquor Licenses May Soon Provide Cocktails To-Go

By Yehudit Garmaise

Take-out restaurants in Boro Park may soon provide cocktails to go, thanks to Gov. Kathy Hochul proposal to permanently legalize to-go drinks as part of her efforts to revitalize the city’s restaurants, which were hit so hard by the pandemic.

Kosher restaurants in Boro Park say they will provide to-go drinks if they are legalized in New York and that customers will likely be interested.

After noting that the hospitality industry lost 64% of its workers at one point, Gov. Hochul said she wants to “re-energize this whole industry” and “signal that New York is back.”

“Every single restaurant that was shut down, every single bar, every single hotel: everything is back, but back even better than before," said the governor who on Wednesday announced her plans to reinvigorate New York City’s hospitality industry.

Gov. Hochul spoke at a Brooklyn wine bar that was only able to open in December 2021 after she allowed for temporary permits to serve alcohol.

"I want everybody to know that New York State is not just open for business: we are open for the best, most vibrant, exciting businesses in this country,” said Gov. Hochul, who created a sense of fun.

“New Yorkers are thirsty,” said Gov. Hochul, who stopped just short of saying “L’chaim.”

Gov. Hochul also announced proposals to update New York's liquor laws and to double the staff at the State Liquor Authority by hiring 39 to help to speed up the processing of the 75,000 applications for liquor licenses per year.