New York State now permits restaurants to offer takeout alcohol paired with food for a ‘dining out while dining in’ experience

Over the weekend, the sidewalk chalkboard on Prospect Park West in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn, was advertising Bloody Marys and pancakes.

The sign outside Krupa Grocery read, 'All day delivery,' at this neighborhood spot serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day — that is, until New York pressed 'pause' last week.

Like many others, the restaurant, now unable to offer on-site dining due to the coronavirus, shifted to takeout and delivery services.

Tom Sperduto, co-managing partner of Krupa, and his team are now focused on bringing the restaurant experience into customers' homes.

One way they are doing this is by allowing restaurants to sell alcohol along with food.

The New York State Liquor Authority introduced the new guidelines last week, permitting restaurants, bars, and taverns that were forced to cease on-site service to sell alcohol off-premises, provided it's sold with food.

“Changing the way people dine isn’t going to happen overnight,” says Sperduto, who is still ready to adapt during these unpredictable times.

Rosa Mexicana’s CEO, Chris Westcott, has kept two of the restaurant's three locations in New York City open for takeout and delivery. When the new NYSLA rules were introduced, Westcott says the team brainstormed how best to serve customers.

“Let’s keep it simple,” he says about Rosa Mexicana’s choice to offer their signature and flavored Margaritas for takeout orders.

The restaurants are selling wine at a slight markup, only from their current stock, according to Westcott, who says his primary focus is less on profit and more on keeping things running smoothly.

“We understand that people are facing tough times,” he says, acknowledging their role in providing a much-needed service.

The new regulations for restaurant operations are set to remain in place until April 15, though they “could be extended or shortened based on the evolving situation.”

As more people stay home, reducing trips to the grocery store and following the social distancing protocols from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), being able to order wine with dinner — at home — benefits both the diner and the restaurant. This is especially crucial in New York, where wine sales in grocery stores are prohibited.

Several other states, including Georgia, Florida, and California, have relaxed their rules on alcohol sales at restaurants. However, this is particularly significant in New York, especially in the metropolitan area, which is seen as the “epicenter of the virus.”

As social distancing becomes more critical, many New Yorkers are striving to limit face-to-face interactions. A delivery service that creates the experience of “dining out while dining in” helps achieve that aim.

With many liquor stores shifting to delivery-only services or limiting the number of customers allowed inside at once, the new relaxed alcohol laws come as a welcome relief to many.

In NYC, while booze delivery isn’t a new concept, ordering a bottle of Ketel One is a different experience compared to having a flat iron steak and a smoky Bloody Mary delivered, made with your choice of vodka, gin, or mezcal. Sperduto sums up this tangy, salty drink in one word: “Awesome.”