New York Republican Lawmakers Call on Cuomo to Lift Restaurant Curfew

Republican lawmakers in New York are calling on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to remove the existing 11 p.m. curfew on restaurants and bars in the state, calling it “arbitrary,” the New York Post reports. A group of five Republican lawmakers introduced a resolution in the state senate yesterday to lift the curfew. The move comes after Cuomo announced last week that the curfew would be lifted on movie theaters, gyms, and some other businesses starting April 5.

“Why is it we can lift curfews on gyms, casinos, bowling alleys and pool halls, but we can’t do it on restaurants and bars?” New York State Assembly member and Republican minority leader Will Barclay said at a press conference Monday, according to the Post. Separately, a group of 46 restaurants — including some in New York City — have filed a lawsuit in the Onondaga Supreme Court, to have the curfew removed. Restaurant owners say the existing curfew is driving customers to nearby states like New Jersey and Connecticut that aren’t enforcing similar restrictions.

Many in the restaurant industry have been calling on the state to eliminate the curfew for quite some time now, with some restaurant owners saying lifting the curfew would be more beneficial than the state focussing its efforts on increasing capacity limits. Cuomo’s office did not immediately return a request for comment.

In other news

— NYC’s Open Streets Coalition is calling on Mayor Bill de Blasio to continue making improvements and changes to the city’s Open Streets program — which came about during the COVID-19 pandemic — to allow more connectivity to transit hubs, and to expand the program in Staten Island, among other recommendations.

— Nuestra Mesa Cooperative BK, a Brooklyn-based food group that fundraises for community organizations, is hosting an event this Saturday with tons of food options and goods, to benefit three local community groups.

— The Bronx Times has a profile on local bakery Emilio Super Bakery Corp and how it’s giving back to the community.

— The New York Times looks at how restaurants within the Independent Restaurant Coalition worked to get more pandemic-related funding for smaller establishments across the country.

— Popular Tribeca spot Cafe Clementine is opening at the corner of Duane and Greenwich streets, after closing its original outpost at the corner of West Broadway and White Street, last October.

— The owner of Brooklyn health food chain Nature’s Grill has been federally indicted for his alleged involvement in a drug ring.

— Bayside pizza and sandwich spot Krave It is opening a second location, in Astoria, in the former home of NYC brunch favorite Queens Comfort.

— LOL: