(Photo by Alex Holyoake on Unsplash)
Aug. 5, 2020 By Allie Griffin
Two more Queens restaurants were added to the long list of borough establishments that have had their liquor licenses suspended for violating COVID-19 regulations.
The State Liquor Authority (SLA) suspended the liquor licenses of a Ridgewood restaurant and a Rego Park restaurant on Monday.
SLA investigators witnessed patrons at both El Manaba Restaurant, located at 341 St. Nicholas Ave. in Ridgewood, and Kazan Mangal, located at 97-13 Queens Blvd. in Rego Park, eating and drinking inside each establishment on Sunday.
It was not the first offense for Kazan Mangal. The SLA already charged the eatery for allowing patrons to eat inside on July 26.
Indoor dining is currently banned in New York City due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Investigators also spotted four employees inside El Manaba who weren’t wearing face coverings Sunday.
The SLA — led by Governor Andrew Cuomo — has cracked down on bars and restaurants that blatantly disregard the state’s social distancing rules and face covering requirements meant to stop the spread of COVID-19 over the last several weeks.
The SLA has now suspended the licenses of 37 establishments in the borough to date — much more than any other county in New York.
Businesses guilty of violating a COVID-19 regulation — such as negligent mask wearing, poor social distancing or serving past 11 p.m. dining curfew — have to pay up to $10,000 per infraction. The SLA immediately suspends the liquor license of a bar or restaurant found to be particularly egregious or those with three or more violations.
Establishments that receive suspensions must stop serving alcohol immediately. The suspensions remain in effect indefinitely — though businesses are entitled to an expedited hearing before a SLA Administrative Law judge should they attempt to get it restored.
A list of Queens businesses that have temporarily lost their liquor licenses due to violating COVID-19 regulations is below.
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