Bed-Stuy Bar Busted For Backyard Party In Pandemic Crackdown

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — A bar on the Bed-Stuy and Bushwick border with dozens of people drinking in its backyard is the latest Brooklyn spot to lose its liquor license as the governor continues to crack down on restaurants and bars not following pandemic-related rules.

Marco's, which sits on the corner of Broadway and Lawton Street, had its liquor license temporarily suspended by the New York State Liquor Authority during meetings last week.

Around 30 Brooklyn spots have had their licenses suspended since Gov. Andrew Cuomo convened a task force of investigators earlier his summer amid videos of late-night, maskless partiers in New York City.

"New Yorkers have worked together to stop the spread of coronavirus — but with our infection rate hovering around 1 percent and the threat of a second wave on the horizon, we must double down on the successful strategies that have helped us over the last six months," Cuomo said.

Investigators with the task force visited Marco's on Sept. 4, and found 37 people drinking in the backyard without food, according to the governor's office. Orders from the governor require "substantial food" be sold with drinks at all New York restaurants to prevent large gatherings.

The yard at Marco's also only has a capacity of 18 people, Cuomo's office said.

Other Brooklyn spots that have had their licenses pulled include popular nightclub House of Yes, a Bed-Stuy restaurant with a hookah shed in the backyard, a "party boat" in Red Hook and a Sheepshead Bay bar with a 150-person party on the roof.

More liquor license suspensions for Brooklyn bars are likely in the works, though the governor's office says the task force's crackdown has been driving down the number of violations.

The governor's task force checked up on establishments more than 4,000 times last week and found violations at 14 of them. The number is a sharp decline from previous weeks, when the task force routinely found more than 100 violations in a week.

Cuomo said that formal charges from the latest inspections are being prepared.

Businesses face fines as high as $10,000 or immediate suspension of their liquor license for violating COVID-19 regulations.