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March 25, 2022 • Schneps Media
TVG
LOCAL NEWS OPED
BY LEROY COMRIE AND
STEVEN CYMBROWITZ
There’s not one policy that
is going to heal the devastated
restaurant industry
overnight. The loss and challenge
facing the industry is far
too catastrophic for there to be
one program that puts it back on
its feet.
But, there are some obvious
and practical fi xes that can provide
helpful revenue streams and
relief that can certainly make
a positive difference for these
small businesses. From our perspective
– and that of the nearly
8 in 10 New Yorkers who support
the policy as well – drinks
to-go is one of
those commonsense
ingredients
that is part
of the larger
recipe for recovery
for the
state’s battered
restaurant industry.
That’s
why we have
sponsored legislation and want
to make this policy permanent,
and are pushing to include it in
this year’s budget.
It was at the height of pandemic
uncertainty when drinks
to-go became a customer and
restaurant favorite across New
York. Initially implemented as
an emergency order that allowed
customers to add wine or their
favorite cocktail to their takeout
order as restaurants fi rst
emerged from lockdown, New
York set the stage for the rest of
the country — with dozens of
other states following our lead
and implementing similar programs
to help the ailing industry.
Yet the situation for New
York’s mom and pop restaurants
only gets more dire by the day.
PHOTO BY DEAN MOSES
Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney publicly celebrated Tuesday morning after securing a large
bankroll for struggling Lower Manhattan community projects.
$IGNS OF RELIEF
Maloney brings in federal big bucks to
struggling Lower Manhattan community groups
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While drinks to-go were allowed
there was at least a glimmer
of hope and hospitality businesses
experienced an uptick in
sales: half of businesses surveyed
said drinks to-go increased their
bottom line by 10-20% and the
other half of businesses credited
drinks to-go as increasing sales
by 20% or more.
Permanently legalizing drinks
to-go once again will provide
these fi nancially-hamstrung restaurants
a reliable source of revenue
to help pay their employees,
rent, afford utilities, and keep
pace with ever-increasing daily
expenses. Permanent drinks togo
would also be a major convenience
for hardworking New
Yorkers who
would benefi t
from being able
to order a drink
with their delivery
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or takeout
after a long day
of work. It also
shouldn’t be lost
on us that this
proposal to allow
to-go drinks is an apt opportunity
to fi nally modernize New
York’s antiquated Alcoholic Beverage
Control Laws as well, some
of which went on the books during
Prohibition-days some 100
years ago, yet still exist today.
As we have all seen in our
neighborhoods, there are countless
restaurants still suffering,
but we’ve got an opportunity in
the New York State Legislatureto
provide them a reason to be
hopeful.Let’s make this important
lifeline for our essential restaurant
industry permanent and
let’s do it now.
Leroy Comrie represents
the 14th Senatorial District in
Queens and Steven Cymbrowitz
represents Brooklyn’s 45th
Assembly District.
BY DEAN MOSES
Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney
publicly celebrated on
March 22 after securing a
large bankroll for struggling Lower
Manhattan community projects.
In all, 10 community organizations
in Maloney’s district will
get $6.3 million in project funding
requests that Maloney allocated
in the fi scal year 2022
appropriations legislation.
“This bill passed the appropriations
committee, passed the House,
in the Senate, and I can’t wait for it
to get out of Washington into the
community helping the lives of our
people here in New York,” Maloney
said. “I am honored to be able
to support their work with critical
federal funding.”
Standing behind her, clutching a
gigantic fake check noting the funding
total for the community, the
groups cheered at the announcement.
Recipients already have big
plans regarding where the money
will be allocated, including restoring
a retail framework decimated by the
COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s unheard of that everyone got
all of their projects funded,” Jessica
Walker from the Manhattan Chamber
of Commerce said. “We think
that up to a third of small businesses
have closed. This funding is going to
be so important to try to get us back
to where we were and help the entrepreneurs
of tomorrow to fi ll the
vacancies that we see around the city
right now. So, we are so grateful.”
The funds are not just promised
to aid struggling business ventures,
however. The pandemic also left
New Yorkers requiring help obtaining
basic human needs. Organizations
dedicated to feeding the
hungry are also promised to benefi t
from the sum.
“This opportunity that she’s,
Maloney, going to give us is amazing.
We’ve done 320,000 meals in
the last two years and we’ve put out
a million and a half pounds of food.
We began to take care of mothers
for WIC programs by providing
them diapers, strollers–all kinds
of goods for their children,” Neil
Sheehan from the North Brooklyn
Angels said. “This is going to allow
us to staff a second kitchen, to add
two more trucks to our hot meal
campaign. It’s going to allow us to
add another truck to our distribution
and collection process. And it’s
gonna allow us to have a full-time
executive director because as I said,
we’re a volunteer program.”
Drinks-to-go will help
save small businesses
“While drinks togo
were allowed
there was at least a
glimmer of hope.”
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