#NY pub sells ‘Cuomo Chips’ to comply with governor’s regulations

A pub in Saratoga Springs, New York, is selling “Cuomo Chips” to comply with the state’s new “buy food with booze” order.
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A New York pub has figured out a cheap and easy way to comply with Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s order that bars sales of alcoholic beverages without food: simply selling them a $1 bag of potato chips.

The governor’s new edict says patrons must be seated and order a food item in order to get drinks as part of an effort to curb large booze-fueled gatherings amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In upstate Saratoga Springs, Harvey’s Irish Pub Owner Matthew Bagely immediately put “Cuomo Chips” on customers’ tabs — so they don’t have to pay for a full meal.

“I mean why not, they’re his chips, they’re his rule so he might as well get some recognition and acknowledgment for another little hurdle we have to jump through as business owners,” Bagely told CBS6-WRGB in Albany

“For the time being until we have more information — that’s food. And you can buy it for a dollar,” he said.

The new guidance states: “Purchase of a food item which is consistent with the food availability requirement of the license under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law shall mean that for each patron in a seated party, an item of food must be purchased at the same time as the purchase of the initial alcoholic beverage(s).”

“Food items intended to compliment the tasting of alcoholic beverages, which shall mean a diversified selection of food that is ordinarily consumed without the use of tableware and can be conveniently consumed, including but not limited to: cheese, fruits, vegetables, chocolates, breads, mustards and crackers.”

Cuomo senior adviser Rich Azzopardi said Friday that buying $1 chips complies with the food-requirement rule.

“It’s consistent with the guidance — but you have to be seated,” Azzopardi said.