A local restaurant owner says the COVID-19 mandates are crushing business.

A tough financial year got harder for Mahoney's in Poughkeepsie.

A few months back, the Irish pub lost its liquor license after serving a State Liquor Authority agent alcohol – without a food order.



"My wife and my two daughters are nurses. And I understand the health and safety of everyone but some of the rules, I can't understand why. It seems like they're targeting restaurants," says owner Emmett Woods.

Woods says his restaurant has tanked 70% this year between shutdowns and mandates

 - and even easing capacity restrictions aren't much help for him.


"People can't get to 75% because they still have to keep a 6-foot distance," he says.

Some state lawmakers are working to repeal the governor's mandate to order food with alcohol.



T

he nearly two-decade old business is back serving the cold stuff - only after pleading guilty to breaking the mandate and paying thousands of dollars.

In order for the mandate to be repealed, it would need a simple majority vote in both houses but would not need the governor's signature.