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NYS Restaurant Association wants takeout alcohol to stick around

The NYS Restaurant Association wants the executive order that allows alcohol to be purchased for takeout and delivery to remain in place.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Pennsylvania's governor announced Monday that outside of Philly on Easter Sunday, you'll be able to order alcohol without food in Pennsylvania bars and restaurants for the first time in a long time. 

Tuesday, the New York State Restaurant Association is asking for some relatively new alcohol rules to stay in place here.

"Alcohol to-go was one of the first executive orders that the governor put in place after restaurants were shut down a year ago today," says Melissa Fleischut, president and CEO of the New York State Restaurant Association 

The group of lawmakers is targeting the 11 p.m. curfew as well as the food requirement when ordering alcohol at restaurants and bars. ALBANY, N.Y. - New York State Republicans in the Assembly and Senate have announced a pair of resolutions aimed at overturning current mandates issued by Governor Andrew Cuomo for restaurants statewide.

And with the executive order process changing in Albany, Fleischut is hoping lawmakers extend the alcohol to-go order again when it expires on March 28.

The governor has extended it every month during the pandemic.

For many restaurants, alcohol to-go has been something of a lifeline, especially when indoor dining wasn't allowed.

"The margins are bigger, and you're able to make more money usually on alcohol sales than you are on the food sales," Fleischut said. "But, takeout and delivery is always tricky during these times, and it certainly doesn't bring them back to where they used to be with indoor dining sales, so I would just raise that caveat that, yes, alcohol is super important, but takeout and delivery alone isn't enough to continue to sustain the restaurants long term."

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