Sneaking Section 230 Reform Into the Defense Bill Is a Terrible Idea
Bar food police strike in New York. State alcohol regulators are cracking down on bars that don’t serve enough food with their booze. “The New York government is allowing the State Liquor Authority to aggressively enforce rules that require drinking establishments to serve food with alcoholic beverages they sell during the COVID-19 pandemic,” note Jarrett Dieterle and Shoshana Weissmann at the Washington Examiner:
Perhaps not surprisingly, this has led to some ridiculous situations. For example, Pint Sized (a Saratoga Springs craft beer bar) was hit with an expected $1,500 fine for failing to serve what regulators deemed was enough veggies per pint of beer. Pint Sized was attempting to comply with New York’s rule by offering simple bowls of canned vegetables, beans, or chili to each customer.
It turned out that customers were understandably unable to keep up with all the bowls of food landing on their tables. The bar’s staff started to feel guilty about food waste, with good reason given the struggles of food banks during the pandemic, and elected to cut back portions to one bowl of food per table of customers. When undercover agents from the State Liquor Authority ordered brews at Pint Sized and received an insufficient amount of food alongside their drinks, the agency fined the bar.
