05/21/2026
One of the Restaurant Association’s legislative priorities for this year was to see language passed that would give the State Liquor Authority oversight on the fees liquor wholesalers charge their customers. Over recent years, these fees have exploded, costing restaurants thousands of extra dollars. With the industry staring down a rocky economy, we need all the help we can get, and we are happy to report that all of our hard work has paid off!
Both the Assembly and Senate will pass a budget bill today that calls for the immediate elimination of attorney and breakage fees charged by wholesalers, while also allowing the State Liquor Authority to impose monetary limits on all other fees. This is great news for our industry and a win for all of our members who sell alcohol.
Below is the statement that we released to the media on the passage of this bill:
"We want to thank the Governor, the Senate, and the Assembly, Senator James Skoufis, Assemblyman Al Stirpe, and the New York State Liquor Authority for recognizing the challenges the restaurant industry is facing and enacting impactful measures that will bring our members real relief. We have long advocated for leveling the playing field between monopolistic liquor wholesalers and their restaurant customers.
And these changes do just that. For too long, the wholesalers have held us over a proverbial barrel with exorbitant fees, and we have had no recourse. There is no competition. We have to buy our alcohol from these two companies, and they’ve taken advantage of that protection. By reining in the fees, the entire hospitality industry will benefit."
