United Restaurant & Tavern Owners of New York, Inc.
212.557.5200
212.949.7570 fax

Paul Hurley
President

Kathleen Reilly
Vice President

Maureen McLaughlin
Executive Assistant
maureen@urandto.com
 

Our Mission:

The United Restaurant and Tavern Owners of New York is a grassroots association representing Manhattan's 3,000 on-premise beverage alcohol licensees. Our partnership harkens back to a time when our industry stood collectively with strength and influence. And we strive to continue to bring together our common spirit through research, lobbying, and member relationships.

Through our six decades of proactive work with government departments and elected officials, the UR&TO - now with a professional staff headquartered in New York City and represented in Albany - has promoted the collective and varied concerns of our members by lobbying on hundreds of issues that affect the licensed beverage industry.

The Association has its sights set clearly on the future and the issues that most concern you:

• Working to legislatively moderate the influence of community boards in the licensing process and daily operation of our business (The law shouldn't mandate good business practices that are basic).

• Continuing in its efforts to eliminate the fee on the sales tax portion of the bill on charged payments, as is necessary in New York State.

• Continuing the association's liaison with all city agencies to keep membership informed on mediation, licensing, fees, and fines.

• Cultivate the relations / education process with elected officials and key agency commissioners to show the vital role the on-premise licensee plays in the hospitality and tourism industry in New York City.

Recent UR&TO Accomplishments:

• Assisting the successful legal defense of a licensee charged for the alleged criminal actions of an employee. This defeated the creation of a legal precedent that would have exposed licensees to prosecution for any wrongful actions of their employees.

• Gaining a one percent compensation on all sales tax up to $400 per annum for credit card purchases.

• Successfully lobbied to establish uniform opening and closing hours throughout the state of New York.

• Removing several restrictions which did not address current culture and new technologies (Cabaret Law).

• Assisting the mediation of a dispute sports programming providers and licensees, which provided substantial savings to licensees.

UR&TO Background:

The United Restaurant and Tavern Owners of New York, Inc. is an alliance of restaurants, bars, nightclubs, inns, and hotels which all share the prestige - and the headaches - of operating in the entertainment and attraction center of the world.

From its founding, in 1937, by restaurant and tavern owners, who joined together to negotiate labor contracts and to collectively face other interests, the UR&TO has been devoted to the unique concerns of Manhattan's on-premise licensee.

We are a group of entrepreneurs different from our colleagues in the industry. Our patrons are a collection of the world's most influential citizenry, and by the nature and locations of our businesses, we are ambassadors to the people of many nations. We are part of the reason people vacation and convene in New York.

However, as we embark on our seventh decade of service, the economic, legislative and emotional climate surrounding the serving of alcohol is as disenchanting as ever. Some of our colleagues refer to this era as "the new prohibition".

The on-premise licensee must accept expanded liability, government's failure to protect small business, ever-changing rules, resolutions and fines. In addition, our industry is first looked to by the state and federal government when they seek to grow their tax revenues.

The need for the local business owners in our industry to build and strengthen relationships and understanding with our counterparts in government is clear. It is also important to foster alliances in the industry and in changing public perceptions and media stereotypes.

If we feel very much alone facing a less certain future, it is because we are. But it has been in times of fraternity that our industry has experienced strength. And, it is now, more than ever, a time to come together and draw on our collective resources, strengthen our voices and face our challenges together.