July was a very difficult month for New York’s restaurants and taverns. The US economy is under the greatest stress since the Great Depression with the hospitality industry smack dab in the center of the distress. Add in the unprecedented restrictions on your operations and the swarming enforcement effort to ensure compliance and it’s clear…

Our workers’ compensation insurance safety group (#554) with the NYS Insurance Fund declared a 40% dividend for qualified and participating members of the safety group. Additionally, for participating and qualified group members, your renewal will be issued with a 25% advance upfront discount. The combination of the discount and dividend add up to 65% savings…

The Board of Directors elected a new slate of officers to lead the Association in the year ahead at its meeting last month. The new officers include Brian Butler, President; Ron Ferguson, Executive Vice President; Tommy O’Toole, First Vice President; Tammy Timmerman, Treasurer; Angela LoBiano-Barone, Recording Secretary; Jack McCarthy, District 1 VP; Pete Caiola, District…

Governor Cuomo’s office issued a press release with updated information on the State Liquor Authority’s enforcement activity. There’s a link in the release to a downloadable list of the premises that have had their licenses suspended or have had charges filed against them.

As previously reported, the State Liquor Authority posted FAQs about the new food requirement which can be viewed here. Our discussions with the SLA today offer these additional clarifications: Food from outside sources is still permissible to meet the food requirement providing the licensee has the appropriate food available to meet the requirement. Allowing this…

The Association is actively seeking answers to the many questions about the new policy and will post updates here as we get them. One thing we’ve learned over the past four months is that everything is constantly changing and so the guidance will change. New questions will be raised on a regular basis and old…

Governor Cuomo released Executive Order 202.52 tonight. You can find the Executive Order here. The Executive Order requires on-premises alcoholic beverage licensees to only serve alcoholic beverages, for consumption on or off-premise, if the beverage is accompanied by the purchase of a food item for each customer consuming alcohol. The State Liquor Authority has issued…

We’ve compiled links to a number of resources we think can help you through the reopening process on our website. We’ll update this listing as we become aware of more resources so check back often. CDC Interim Guidance for Restaurants and Bars FDA Covid-19 Best Practices for Restaurants Fact Sheet COVID-19 Reopening Guide – National…

The New York State Department of Health has issued an emergency rule, effective July 9, that addresses the enforcement of several “social distancing” measures including an explicit, enforceable requirement on all business owners and operators that reads: Business operators and building owners, and those authorized on their behalf shall deny admittance to any person who fails…

As restaurants and bars resume operations in some areas of the United States, CDC offers the following considerations for ways in which operators can protect employees, customers, and communities and slow the spread of COVID-19. Restaurants and bars can determine, in collaboration with state and local health officials, whether and how to implement these considerations, making…

Senator Schumer’s move last night to pass an extension of the Paycheck Protection Program in the US Senate resulted in the House of Representatives passing the measure today, sending it to the President’s desk. Here’s the NY Times report: WASHINGTON — The House on Wednesday agreed to extend for five weeks a popular pandemic relief loan…

N.Y. Officials Halt Indoor Dining, Alarmed by Virus Rise in Other States NYC Delays Resumption of Indoor Dining at Restaurants Cuomo says no indoor dining yet for New York City restaurants