New York State Liquor Authority (SLA) summarily suspended the liquor licenses of two Queens restaurants, Don Kew Inc, doing business as “The Hangar Bar & Grill” at 11911-11913 Metropolitan Avenue and Makers Bar & Grill Inc, doing business “Hangar Astoria Bar & Grill” at 24-43 Steinway Street. Both businesses share a common ownership. Both restaurants were found operating in violation of the Governor’s Executive Order, which requires bars and restaurants to cease on-premises service of food and alcoholic beverages to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said both locations require constant police attention, with police receiving eighty 311 complaints against the Metropolitan Avenue location and twenty-three for the Steinway Street location between March 20th to May 9th.
Despite numerous warnings and summonses, both locations continue to abuse temporary “to go” privileges and SLA guidelines by selling alcohol in unsealed containers without food and allowing patrons to congregate in mass both inside and around the licensed premises, SLA said.
They attracted customers by offering drinks with the purchase of just chips, leading to long waiting lines and clusters of drinking patrons immediately outside the premises, many without masks and without social distancing.