{"id":398823,"date":"2022-01-25T02:51:35","date_gmt":"2022-01-24T23:51:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/state-says-nyc-restaurant-cant-offer-25-cent-drinks-to-fight-january-blues\/"},"modified":"2022-01-25T02:51:35","modified_gmt":"2022-01-24T23:51:35","slug":"state-says-nyc-restaurant-cant-offer-25-cent-drinks-to-fight-january-blues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/state-says-nyc-restaurant-cant-offer-25-cent-drinks-to-fight-january-blues\/","title":{"rendered":"#State says NYC restaurant can\u2019t offer 25 cent drinks to fight January blues"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;<strong>#State says NYC restaurant can\u2019t offer 25 cent drinks to fight January blues<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<div class=\"inline-module inline-module--columnist inline-module--author\">\n<div class=\"inline-module--author__img\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"76\" height=\"69\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/08\/author-jennifer-gould.png?w=76&amp;h=69&amp;crop=1\" class=\"attachment-nyp_columnist size-nyp_columnist\" alt=\"Jennifer Gould\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/08\/author-jennifer-gould.png?w=152 152w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/08\/author-jennifer-gould.png?w=114 114w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/08\/author-jennifer-gould.png?w=76 76w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/08\/author-jennifer-gould.png?w=38 38w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/08\/author-jennifer-gould.png 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 76px) 100vw, 76px\"\/>     <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>The long arm of the law doesn\u2019t like bargain basement cocktail specials \u2013 even if they\u2019re whipped up to help struggling restaurants drum up business during a slow January.<\/p>\n<p>Anton\u2019s, the West Village eatery that drew crowds \u2013 and a column in last week\u2019s Side Dish \u2013 with its 25 cent martinis and Manhattans \u2013 was sl<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ed by the State Liquor Authority last Wednesday with a warning. Turns out, the booze special that packed \u2018em in ran afoul of state law that forbids discounts of more than 50% off normal prices.<\/p>\n<p>That meant the deal, which was offered during lunchtime this month on Wednesdays through Fridays and which was packed inside was actually illegal \u2013 and it\u2019s no more.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe place was packed. It broke the internet,\u201d said Marie Assante, a food publicist who dined at Anton\u2019s last Thursday. \u201cI\u2019ve never seen a lunch spot as crowded and vibrant at 2:45 p.m. as I did last Thursday. People were celebrating with friends or working remotely on their computers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The SLA didn\u2019t charge Anton\u2019s with an official violation, but let the restaurant off with a warning, an SLA spokesperson told Side Dish.\u00a0The SLA has issued only 19 charges since 2018 with violating the rule that forbids charging a price for a drink that\u2019s less than half the typical cost. (The regulator also forbids offering unlimited all-you-can-drink specials.)<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/antons-martinis-02.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"Exterior of Anton's restaurant in the West Village \" class=\"wp-image-20951966\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/antons-martinis-02.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/antons-martinis-02.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/antons-martinis-02.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Anton\u2019s restaurant in the West Village came up with a lunchtime promotion to ease the January blues \u2014 drinks for 25 cents. But then the State Liquor Authority came calling, putting the kibosh on the special.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Google Maps<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Even though some state laws around liquor have been relaxed during the pandemic \u2013 like the to-go drinks that Gov. Kathy Hochul says she wants to make permanent \u2013 there are still strict rules in place for the selling of alcohol.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Nick Anderer, a co-owner of Anton\u2019s, wouldn\u2019t comment to Side Dish, but an Instagram post confirmed that the state had intervened in the restaurant\u2019s 25-cent special, which owners told Side Dish last week had been inspired by a New Orleans group of establishments that had done the same thing to goose business.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDue to an obscure NY State liquor law, of which we were completely unaware, and for which we received no warning or notice, we can no longer offer 25 cent martinis and Manhattans,\u201d Anderer said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The new price for martinis and Manhattans: $9 during lunch hours.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cApparently, \u2018special\u2019 prices on liquor\/wine cannot be offered any lower than 50% of an establishment\u2019s regular pricing,\u201d Anderer explained. \u201cWish us luck as we battle through a pending SLA case \u2026 and please don\u2019t cancel your lunch reservations\u2026!\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/antons-martinis-01.jpeg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"New York State Liquor Authority logo\" class=\"wp-image-20951981\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/antons-martinis-01.jpeg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1536 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/antons-martinis-01.jpeg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/antons-martinis-01.jpeg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>The State Liquor Authority said the special violated the rules that state booze can\u2019t be sold for discounts of more than 50% off normal prices.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">NY State Liquor Authority<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Morgan Raum, head of membership at Lox Club, a culturally Jewish members-based dating app, celebrated her 25th birthday at Anton\u2019s last week with three colleagues \u2013 and was drawn in by the now-forbidden drinks special.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was a 10-minute walk from our office in the Meatpacking District and we wanted to try the martinis and thought it was a great occasion for it,\u201d she said, adding that they had one each. \u201cIt was packed. I thought it was such a cute restaurant. I had never been there before and I probably would never have gone if I hadn\u2019t heard about the offer. Now I want to live in the West Village!\u201d (She currently resides on the Upper East Side.)\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Raum said she was shocked that the SLA shut down the martini deal. \u201cThat\u2019s terrible,\u201d she said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t seem fair at all. I would still totally go back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Andrew Rigie, executive director of NYC\u2019s Hospitality Alliance, says he can\u2019t comment on individual cases. Still, he said: \u201cMany of the state\u2019s liquor laws are from early post-prohibition times and should definitely be reviewed to determine their appropriateness in 2022, especially as our city\u2019s restaurants and bars are in the middle of a crisis and fighting to recover.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Robert Bookman, a partner at Pesetsky &amp; Bookman, specializing in alcohol law, explains how he sees the SLA\u2019s logic: \u201cThere\u2019s good public policy behind the law, and that\u2019s temperance. They don\u2019t want 10 cent drafts and people getting drunk. But the purpose of the law is compliance. It shouldn\u2019t be punitive,\u201d Bookman said, adding that restaurants with clean records should get off with a warning the first time, and not have to pay a fine.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>However, he added, \u201cstretching the law for COVID is not the argument to make.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Other restaurateurs are taking note, however, as alcohol and food deals can be merged.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"711\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/antons-martinis-04.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=711\" alt=\"Drink glass\" class=\"wp-image-20952007\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/antons-martinis-04.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1422 1422w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/antons-martinis-04.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1066 1066w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/antons-martinis-04.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=711 711w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/antons-martinis-04.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=355 355w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/antons-martinis-04.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 711px) 100vw, 711px\"\/><figcaption>Some restaurants work around the SLA\u2019s rules by, for instance, offering a martini for $12 and a plate of oysters for free; if the restaurant did the opposite, it\u2019d likely be in violation of New York\u2019s liquor rules.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s the workaround,\u201d said an insider who did not want to be named for fear of SLA retaliation. \u201cYou can offer specials like a $12 martini that comes with a dozen oysters for free \u2013 just not the other way around. It\u2019s absurd. They can torture people, like come in and test your drinks to make sure the alcohol isn\u2019t being watered down. You just have to outsmart them.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the SLA\u2019s move has come under fire from some fellow restaurateurs, like James Mallios, of Amali on the Upper East Side, who is also a restaurant lawyer.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe SLA wants to avoid bars and restaurants encouraging people from getting blackout drunk with all-you-can-drink offers, but I\u2019ve never heard of that 50% rule being used in this context,\u201d Mallios said. \u201cThey are worried about someone\u2019s PR gimmick? Come on. Seriously!\u201d\u00a0\n                        <\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/01\/24\/state-says-nyc-restaurant-cant-offer-25-cent-drinks-to-fight-january-blues\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#State says NYC restaurant can\u2019t offer 25 cent drinks to fight January blues&#8221; The long arm of the law doesn\u2019t like bargain basement cocktail specials \u2013 even if they\u2019re whipped up to help struggling restaurants drum up business during a slow January. Anton\u2019s, the West Village eatery that drew crowds \u2013 and a column in&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":398824,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/antons-martinis-05.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[124741,105595,70344,98670,22512,71970,71447],"class_list":["post-398823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-1-24-22","tag-cocktails","tag-coronavirus-in-ny","tag-nyc-reopens","tag-restaurants","tag-side-dish","tag-state-liquor-authority"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/398823","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=398823"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/398823\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/398824"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=398823"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=398823"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=398823"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}