BUFFALO, N.Y. — From Albany, there is some clarification from the State Liquor Authority on a program that was seen as a real lifesaver for restaurants in the early days of the pandemic.
Now, we have the latest on the 'alcohol to-go' policy which was enacted by the governor and state lawmakers.
The State Liquor Authority made it clear in a very brief online session that it received numerous comments on the alcohol to-go which also requires a "substantial food order" to go along with those drinks.
The authority shared its definition or examples of substantial food accompanying alcoholic drink takeout or delivery.
The liquor authority's general counsel Gary Meyerhoff put it this way. "Sandwiches, soups, or other foods whether fresh, processed, pre-cooked, or frozen. And the other foods are foods that are similar in quality or substance to sandwiches and soups."
That could include wings ( which former Governor Cuomo discounted as a full meal ), salad, or hotdogs.
Meyerhoff added that a bag of chips or a bowl of nuts or candy by itself would not be sufficient. They are also ruling out smaller amounts of soups or salads.
That now-approved advisory issued immediately by the SLA also clarified that its alcohol take-out rule does not allow actual bottles of wine or liquor to be provided by the bar or restaurant. There can be no transfers of the wine or liquor to an equivalent bottle. They're talking about sealed cups or other containers to limit the amount.
It's all good news for a restaurant owner Paul Santora who says the original alcohol to-go temporary use was crucial in the dark COVID days and now he says, "I don't really know what it's gonna be you know post-era where we are right now. I do know that it really was a substantial savior for us during COVID and during the shutdown."
So now there is this extra offering.
Santora says, "I think in the long run being able to promote it and being able to make it part of a dinner package - especially for us because we do a lot of take-out. You know delivery still because we're still part of that "restaurant kinda pizzeria buying it to go establishment" - so to-go for us is part of our volume. So I think it'll play a big role.
Santora also says this point about a professional mixologist making the drinks.
"I think people like the fact of you know having a bartender making their drinks. Right? I mean it's like anything else - you can make a chicken parm at home all day long. But can you make it taste like a restaurant.? Can it be just ready to go? And I think drinks kind of fall under the same category. Right? I mean if you're having a Cosmopolitan or a Hurricane or one of our drinks on our drink menu like. I mean you gotta buy all the ingredients and how many times do you drink that drink. And I just feel it's gonna be an addition to what we do as part of our overall portfolio."
Of course, there is another party to consider here. That is the liquor store operators which other news outlets said might be opposed as it hurts their business.
We reached out to several store owners as part of the New York State Liquor Store Association but no one responded for comment.