Local Restaurant Bites Back at Latest Cuomo Mandate

The ever-changing world of pandemic and social distancing rules threw us a bit of a curve ball yesterday during the Governor's press conference.  The latest mandate from Cuomo states that restaurants may not serve alcohol to customers unless they buy food.   Restaurants quickly found a "loophole" in the latest Cuomo mandate and one place in Saratoga may have set a trend for other restaurants to follow.

Let's say I'm drinking a beer at a bar without food, that puts me at greater risk than if I were at the same bar, with the same beer, while I'm nibbling french fries? OK, I guess.

Apparently, the latest bit of Gov love is an attempt to reduce "mingling" among dinner parties.

While I think it's safe to say that Cuomo has our best intentions in mind, this seems like a bit of a stretch and many restaurants in the area and beyond are going to adjust; They're New York Tough, New York Strong and New York Clever.

Finding a loophole in the latest Cuomo mandate is actually not very difficult.  According to CBS 6 News,  it took one local restaurant all of a few hours to bite back.  Harvey's in Saratoga quickly figured out that all they needed to do was add an inexpensive food item to the menu, and serve it super-cheap.  Hence the creation of  "Cuomo Chips" for a buck (plus tax) . It worked, allowing  patrons to hang around.

The Lafayette Brewing Company in Buffalo made a much more comprehensive (and quite hilarious) menu.  I think it's a pretty safe bet that more places in the Capital Region and beyond will follow suit.