It was a small gesture that proved wildly popular: allowing customers to order to-go drinks at bars and restaurants when many were struggling to stay open at the height of the pandemic.

After losing 64% of their staff, bars and restaurants statewide have been asking for help to get back on their feet. And now Gov. Kathy Hochul wants to make to-go drinks available to customers permanently, after the temporary law expired last year.

“To re-energize this whole industry will really be a signal that New York is back,” Hochul said at an event in Bedford-Stuyvesant. “When every single restaurant that was shut down, every single bar, every single hotel, everything is back, but back even better than before.”

The trade group representing liquor store owners is fighting to-go drinks, which some consider a threat to their business. A proposal to sell wine in supermarkets more than ten years ago was killed after liquor store owners opposed it. 

But that’s not all the governor is proposing. She also wants to legalize alcohol in movie theaters, and double the number of employees at the State Liquor Authority to help process the 75,000 liquor license applications they get each year. 

Angela Terry owns the Therapy Wine Bar 2.0 in Bed-Stuy. She said to-go drinks will help her young business expand. 

“It would be beneficial here because it would market our business, let people know that we exist,” Terry said.

In December, Hochul signed legislation that allows city-based businesses to apply for a temporary liquor license while they await state approval of their full license application. 

Senator Jessica Ramos was that bill’s sponsor. 

“Over the past few months, we’ve seen a lot of the new restaurants and new establishments, like where we are today here in Brooklyn, be able to take advantage of this privilege that actually upstate and Long Island have been able to enjoy for many years now. So, it’s really about parity for the city,” Ramos said.

Terry’s wine bar was able to get a temporary liquor license within three weeks of opening, while the permanent license is still being processed. 

“As a small business owner, it’s difficult to have a space that can generate income, but it’s not generating the income that you need it to because you don’t have the necessary permits or paperwork,” Terry said.

Hochul has put to-go drinks in her state budget proposal. It’s one of her only big asks of the legislature. The state budget is finalized over the next few weeks and due April 1.