ALBANY, NY — You could soon be sitting in a movie theater, watching the new Star Wars film or even a more arty offering like “1917,” while sipping on a Bud Light, a hazy craft IPA, or maybe a glass of wine.
A new proposal from Gov. Andrew Cuomo aims to make it easier for movie theaters across the state to offer alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, cider, mead or spirits. Any theater could do it, not just places that have full kitchens and tables — the current loophole that allows venues like the Movie Tavern in Camillus’ Township 5 to operate.
This is the second time Cuomo has proposed relaxing the ban on alcohol at theaters. A similar plan floated in 2017 fell apart in negotiations with state lawmakers.
This time, Cuomo is making it part of a larger effort to do away with some of the state’s old or archaic alcohol laws that date to the end of Prohibition. It continues Cuomo’s efforts in recent years to boost the state’s craft alcohol industry by cutting fees and regulations.
He’s touting it as a benefit to the state’s theaters — which have seen revenues cut by streaming services — as well as its craft beverage makers.
“This proposal will provide theater operators with additional revenues, assist in the economic development of downtowns, and provide New York craft producers with additional retail outlets,” Cuomo said in a statement released by his office.
Sales would be limited to adults holding tickets to movies rated PG-13 or higher, under Cuomo’s plan. Each customer could purchase just one drink at a time.
Cuomo will formally make this proposal and others at his State of the State address Wednesday and make it part of his agenda for the upcoming session of the State Legislature.
The plan was welcomed by representatives of the state’s movie theater industry.
“With all the competition coming from media and streaming services, it is critical for movie theaters to be able to offer this amenity to its customers,” Robert Sunshine, executive director of the National Theater Owners of New York State, said in a statement. “It is necessary for movie theaters to have this ability to serve alcohol so they can compete with other entertainment sectors.”
Alcohol sales are allowed at movie theaters in some other states, and major cinema chains have joined in.
Regal Theaters, the chain that doiminates the Central New York cinema market, has embraced alcohol in its theaters (where legal) for at least the last five years.
The two other major proposals in Cuomo’s plan to relax alcohol laws in 2020 are:
— Relaxing the so-called “tied-house” laws in the state, which prohibit alcohol manufacturers from having an interest in operating retail outlets. In the past, this has sometimes required state lawmakers to approve specific exemptions. Under Cuomo’s proposal, the state law would more closely follow federal guidelines, “which provides discretion by analyzing the details of the relationship.”
— Adding a new license for colleges to obtain for alcohol manufacturing programs that would ease the current set of complicated restrictions. The plan would streamline the process, for example by allowing colleges to sell the beverages they make without a separate restaurant license.
New York currently has several brewing education programs. One, at SUNY Morrisville, closed in 2019 after just one year in operation.
Related:
— The top drinks trends of the 2010s,and how they played out in CNY
— 2019′s top beers: Light, lite and lighter
Don Cazentre writes about craft beer, wine, spirits and beverages for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at [email protected], or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook.
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