A lawyer is on a personal crusade to end to our boozy bottomless brunches in New York City. Will we witness the end of our favorite Sunday activity? Here’s everything you need to know.
There’s only one cure for a heavy Saturday night or the pre-Monday blues, that’s a few mimosas/bloody marys at your favorite bottomless brunch joint. Is there a better way to spend a Sunday in New York? Whether it’s for the “hair-of-the-dog” or to just pass a lazy-boozy Sunday in a nice restaurant, there has never been a better excuse for day drinking. Sadly, that is the nature of the problem according to New York lawyer, Robert Halpern.
Halpern, an East Village resident, believes our Sunday-bottomless-ritual has gone way too far. In a statement to The Real Deal the lawyer said:
“There are too many people running around drinking all the time, […] It’s become more and more of a drinking culture here.”
What many New Yorkers don’t realize, among a litany of other weird lesser known bar laws, is that it is actually illegal in NYC to set a fixed price for the sale of unlimited alcoholic drinks during a set period of time. Even though this law is rarely enforced, and there are many exceptions, this obscure alcohol law forms the basis for Robert Halpern’s crusade.
Halpern has petitioned the State Liquor Authority to rein in the number of liquor licenses issued in the East Village. He estimates that there are 679 active liquor licenses in the neighborhood, 305 of which were granted in 2016.
Does Halpern have a case? Perhaps.
Will he win? Unlikely, but this does give voice to others that may share his concerns and that echo chamber of dissenting voices could make a real-world difference. Let’s hope not, but just in case, let’s head over to the east village for some bottomless mimosas, yeah?
Featured image source [Flickr | Erica Firment]