Transcript: Mayor Eric Adams Celebrates Suspension of Liquor License Surcharge

July 13, 2022

Varun Kataria: Hello. Welcome, everyone. I'm Varun Kataria. I'm the owner of the Turk's Inn and Sultan Room in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Thank you. We are a restaurant, bar and nightclub in Bushwick. I'd like to welcome Mayor Eric Adams to our space and to express gratitude for the efforts this administration has made to assist our industry through unprecedented challenges. Hospitality is a hard gig. The hours are long. The margins are thin, and that was before we had to work through a global pandemic. But we do it because we love it. We believe that what we do matters and contributes greatly to the spirit of this city. What would New York be without its restaurants, bars, and clubs? They are our gathering places. Our places of work, where memories and careers are made. They're our safe spaces for misfits and the marginalized communities of this city where so much culture and joy is fostered.

Kataria: Historically our industry hasn't always had favorable interactions with the machinery of government. So it's incredibly refreshing to see that the challenges we face are recognized by the mayor's office. What we're doing here today is just another example of the support we're getting from the city. This bill written by Council Members Powers and Brannan cuts back on our liquor license fees. When it comes to reducing the cost of doing business, every little bit helps. Thank you for everything you do on our behalf, and I hope that you continue to have our back. With that, I'd like to introduce Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City.

Mayor Eric Adams: You promised me I was going to have a Tito's and seltzer waiting. Oh, okay. All right. We're going to do a toast in a minute. Now, I want you to think back, go as far back as you can possibly go. And you tell me, has there ever been a mayor that enjoyed the nightlife of this city like I have? But when you think about nightlife, don't think about the beautiful club that we saw downstairs. Do what I do. Go into the kitchen, speak to the dishwasher, the waiter or waitress, talk to the person behind the bar, talk to the people who are cleaning up after it closes. And you'll understand that our nightlife industry is more than a place that plays good music. It is a place that allow people to have the symphony of possibility in their lives.

Mayor Adams: This is an important industry. The city does not end at 5:00 PM. What we do from 9:00 to 5:00 helps one population. But what we do from 5:00 to 2:00 AM helps another population. That's why we're out here. And we look at what these councilmen did in introducing the bill and legislation, it's stated to all New Yorkers. We have everyone's back. This is a financial ecosystem that if we lose one part of it, it's going to impact another part of the ecosystem. And so I thank you for this beautiful space. I'm going to be coming here and hanging out. And I thank you for our partners here, that they just get it. And you have an amazing borough president who is just pushing it through, making this borough continue the excitement that it deserves. I sat down with Con Edison once at a meeting. And they stated that after 7:00 PM, the electricity drops throughout the entire city, but one borough, it increases, and that's Brooklyn.

Mayor Adams: The electricity goes through the roof. People enjoy this borough so much. This puts real money back in the pockets of those who struggled during a difficult time, it's estimated to be $6.5 million. This was a small piece of legislation. We're going to continue to find ways of empowering our small businesses and our nightlife establishment. That is the order that the commissioner has put in place, what we are doing by removing all of those rules that stopped you from being profitable. We're going to continue to be partners in doing that. And I'm just really happy that this is a time the administration that just gets it. And we like to get stuff done. And this great council, these council people are here. They got it done for us. Thank you very much.

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