It's a minor win for restaurant and bar owners who have been calling on elected officials to lift the state's pandemic curfew for months and seen only incremental change."It's great news," says one south Brooklyn bar owner, who requested anonymity in order to speak freely. "No curfew would obviously be better, but we do have to watch out for 'Cinderella Covid' which only comes out at midnight."
As Thrillist pointed out: "Subways are still out of service from 2 to 4 a.m., too, which could pose a challenge for hospitality workers trying to get home once the new curfew goes into effect."
And the reaction from Andrew Rigie, the executive director of the NYC Hospitality Alliance:
The extra hour is good news for restaurants, bars and customers, but we need to also lift the rule that prohibits customers from being seated to eat at a bar in NYC, and revisit removing the requirement that a “food item” be served with a drink. @theNYCalliance https://t.co/z80fuV8QRA
— Andrew Rigie (@AndrewRigie) April 14, 2021