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Times Square restaurants gear up for reopening timed to Broadway’s return
In welcome news for hard-hit restaurants that rely on tourism traffic in Manhattan’s Theater District, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced yesterday that Broadway theaters can reopen at full capacity starting September 14. At least two Times Square restaurants, Italian mainstay Carmine’s and barbecue spot Virgil’s, have already announced September reopenings timed to the return of Broadway shows, according to a press representative for the restaurants.
Times Square and Broadway-adjacent restaurants have been struggling for over a year to survive amid huge drop-offs in tourism and low foot traffic in the neighborhood due to the pandemic. Last fall, the local nonprofit Times Square Alliance hosted a restaurant week for hundreds of area businesses to generate some revenue while theaters remained closed. According to the Alliance, Times Square has seen a recent uptick in traffic
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The Mermaid Inn struggles to obtain liquor license ahead of planned East Village reopening
Casual seafood stalwart the Mermaid Inn is aiming to reopen in its original East Village location following a seemingly permanent closure last August, according to the
New York Post. The popular hangout closed down after 17 years to the dismay of many longtime customers as the business owners cited mounting debt and failed rent negotiations with the property’s landlord.
Now, they’re back in action or will be, as soon as they can secure a liquor license. The
New York Post reports that the restaurant’s owners who felt encouraged to reopen after finally securing a better rent deal and seeing more economic activity in the city this year are struggling to obtain proper licensing from the State Liquor Authority. The owners say the problems stem from a state law that bars NYC restaurants and bars from accessing temporary liquor licenses while the SLA approves th