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Happy hour makes a comeback
Bar patrons can now belly up to the bar in New York City.
NEW YORK - Happy hour is making its big comeback in New York City.
Bartender Chris Morton tells us it was a full house, that is, with 50% capacity restrictions still in place, at Dylan Murphy’s on the Upper East Side.
However, it’s not back to business as usual just yet. Patrons still have to sit spaced at least six feet apart.
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"Everybody that supported us throughout the year, they’re all here. They’re the backbone of our bar and our business. It was nice for them to show up again after the pandemic," he adds.
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Tristate reopenings
The governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut announced that many pandemic restrictions will be lifted later this month.
For the first time since restaurants welcomed customers back for indoor dining, bar seating is no longer off-limits.
Last week, the New York State Assembly and Senate also repealed the requirement that customers purchase a "food item" with alcohol.
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"I think they missed it, and we missed them. It’s the interaction of you sitting at the bar, watching the game, having a drink," Shawn Taylor, the General Manager at Keats tells Fox 5.
Other restrictions are also slated to loosen in the weeks.
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NY and NJ prepare to lift restrictions
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy plan to lift most restrictions on businesses, venues, and gatherings later this month. Certain mandates, such as wearing masks and keeping distance, will remain for now.
The midnight curfew will be lifted for outdoor dining areas beginning on May 17 and for indoor dining areas beginning on May 31.
Bars are also brainstorming creative ways to bring back customers, like late-night happy hours and socially distanced karaoke.