NY Yanks Liquor Licenses From Bars In Kew Gardens, Astoria

KEW GARDENS, QUEENS — Two Queens bars got their liquor licenses suspended for violating a state order that prohibits serving food and beverages on-site during the coronavirus pandemic, according to the New York State Liquor Authority.

Hangar Bar & Grill, which has locations in Kew Gardens and Astoria, faces charges of violating Gov. Andrew Cuomo's executive order enacting coronavirus-related restaurant restrictions and "becoming a focal point for police attention," the agency said in a news release.

The bar's location on Metropolitan Avenue in Kew Gardens racked up 80 complaints through the city's 311 hotline in a six-week period starting in late March, while the location on Steinway Street in Astoria got 23 complaints during the same timeframe, according to the State Liquor Authority.

Both locations sold alcohol in unsealed containers without food and allowed crowds of customers inside and around the bars, in violation of social-distancing rules, the State Liquor Authority said.

The bar said the shutdown was due to "efforts of a tiny percentage of racist neighbors in our beautiful Kew Gardens neighborhood," according to the New York Post, citing a since-deleted tweet.

"Just a handful of hateful and bored members flooding 311 with calls yet we’ve had zero fights," the bar wrote on Twitter the day after the agency announced the emergency liquor license suspensions.

Hangar Bar didn't immediately return Patch's call requesting comment.

NYPD officers gave Hangar at least two warnings and two summonses after visiting the bar's two locations several times in April and May.

In one instance, police spotted as many as 90 people drinking and ignoring social distancing guidelines inside and directly outside the bar's Astoria location, according to the State Liquor Authority.

“Despite numerous warnings and clear guidance from the SLA, it’s obvious this licensee is simply exploiting the new ‘to go’ privileges and endangering the lives of his employees, police and his community in the process,” SLA Chairman Vincent Bradley said.