While restaurants are open again and capacity restrictions have been lifted, a full economic recovery is likely years away. Which is why New York’s newest state budget deal is just another way the government is helping support small businesses hit hard by the pandemic.

For nearly 15 months, to-go cocktails were allowed to be sold in New York restaurants during the pandemic, which proved to serve restaurants as a financial lifeline. And now, Governor Hochul is making it clear she wants it back – for good.

On April 7, The New York State Senate and Assembly passed a budget deal that includes making the sale and delivery of to-go cocktails legal for at least the next three years – until 2025 – giving lawmakers enough time to decide on an extension.

This bill applies to any restaurant that sells alcohol on-premises, but requires customers to buy “a substantial food item.” Restaurants also still must adhere to the state’s open container laws. 

“New York’s nightlife and hospitality industry is second to none, and by allowing the sale of to-go drinks we will continue to support the industry’s recovery from the pandemic,” Governor Hochul said. “Cheers to both Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins and Speaker Heastie for their help in making this change, which will drive business for the hospitality industry and be a lifeline, helping them comeback stronger than before.” 
Click here to learn what else was included in the $220 billion dollar budget.

NYC restaurants: Why you should offer to-go cocktails

Benefits of offering to-go cocktails in NYC as part of your delivery and takeout program

NYC alcohol delivery is a great way to increase the average order value of your delivery and takeout orders on the Grubhub platform.

Restaurants on Grubhub who have added alcohol to their delivery and takeout have seen huge wins. Our data shows that, on average, orders with alcohol have a 43% higher order value than those without alcohol.

Our data also shows that orders with alcohol tend to have a $14-$15 higher average order value than those without alcohol.

To help support our restaurants that are offering alcohol, we’ll be running marketing campaigns to your customers reminding them to purchase their favorite drinks with their favorite menu items.

With Grubhub marketing supporting alcohol delivery in New York, we’re projecting New York restaurants could see sales increasing up to 7% when adding alcohol to your menu.

Read our complete guide on how you can add alcohol to your Grubhub menu.

Capture more sales by tapping into alcohol delivery trends of 2022 

Grubhub’s Annual Year in Food Report showed an uptick in alcohol orders, with a handful of cocktails seeing a meteoric rise in popularity. And now with this new law, we only see this increasing.

According to our data, the number one performing delivery alcohol drink in 2021 was the Margarita. But simply adding these trending cocktails of 2022 to your menu might not be enough. It’s important to create a strong marketing strategy that’ll allow you to take advantage of the new to-go cocktails law.

Use these 10 tips, along with Grubhub’s promotions and loyalty tools, to help promote the new law to your diners and increase your takeout and delivery sales.

How to get started with alcohol delivery on Grubhub

Grubhub partners with countless restaurants across the state of New York, where food delivery is part of the local fabric, and processed billions of dollars in sales to restaurants in 2021. 

And now, we’re excited that alcohol delivery is once again a part of that local fabric, and Grubhub is here to help.

Don’t want to miss the rush of drink orders? Getting started with Grubhub today is easy: simply input your contact information, along with your role, restaurant name, and zip code. 

After you sign up with Grubhub Marketplace, we list your restaurant and menu on Grubhub.com and our Grubhub mobile app. You can then easily manage and fulfill pickup and delivery orders on your own smart device or using the complimentary tablet we will provide you. You can learn more about our alcohol delivery process here.

After your restaurant’s registration is complete, you’ll be assigned a dedicated Account Advisor who will work with you to get alcohol added to your menu.
Ready to tap into NYC alcohol delivery and serve your diners with to go cocktails? Sign up with Grubhub today.