Photo via The Heights Bar & Grill.
By Hannah Reale
In times of self-quarantine, The Heights Bar & Grill has figured out what people want.
On Wednesday afternoon, General Manager Joost Charlow put up a sign advertising “FROZEN MARGS TO GO” and the restaurant’s phone number to place an order. The Heights is on Broadway between 111th and 112th.
“I’ll be honest, Mel’s Burger Bar across the street put up a sheet that let people know that they were still open, so I was gonna do that anyway, but when Cuomo put out a press release saying that bars and restaurants could serve alcohol to go, along with their food, I figured that was the most important thing to let people know about,” Joost told the West Side Rag on Thursday.
Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Monday that bars and restaurants are temporarily allowed to sell alcohol to-go while sit-down options are prohibited.
The Heights has long been a popular spot with Columbia and Barnard students. They’re now operating at reduced hours, open from 12 to 9 every day.
“We’re planning to stay open as long as it’s financially feasible for us,” Joost went on. “We’re trying to keep our overhead as low as possible. At least for now, we obviously have a decent amount of food and alcohol in stock, so we’re gonna be open as long as it takes to get rid of that and then, depending on how much our sales have been, we might do small reorders or go to a condensed menu. We’re trying to stay open as long as we can and, you know, try to help the neighborhood out.”
Business got a big bump in the hours after he put up the sign for the frozen margaritas. It’s $10 for a normal frozen, $11 for flavored (peach, mango, passion fruit, strawberry, raspberry).
“Most people aren’t working, so they’re still trying to go outside for a little bit, go for a walk or something, and grab a frozen margarita on their way home,” Joost said. “We’ve been in the neighborhood since the late ’90s. We’ve fought through storms and a fire and we’re going to do everything we can to stay open, and if a frozen margarita can help some people who are otherwise very bored and trying to get through quarantine, then we’ll try to do our part.”
How much is a small?
How much is a large?
Thanks
$10 for a normal frozen, $11 for flavored (peach, mango, passion fruit, strawberry, raspberry).
Please let everyone know that Bettola Pizza on Amsterdam near 80th is OPEN.
When I saw your list, they weren’t mentioned. Thank you
Let’s help our small business.
I picked up a frozen Paloma to go from playa Betty. They put it in a plastic cup with a lid and straw and I drank it as I shopped at fairway. I’ll def be reusing the cup to make “roadies” for when I walk my dog or grocery shop. Having a cocktail in hand makes it all seem a tiny bit less terrifying. Please try and support these restaurants as much as possible.
Harvest Kitchen, Brad’s Burgers and Good Enough to Eat are all doing full bar as well.
As is Da Capo on Columbus@75, or at least Bellinis, magaritas, old fashioneds, bloody Marys etc.
The margaritas are better at Santa Fe on 71st St. So fun to be able to order in. 🙂
Margs at Sante Fe on 71st and Columbus are SUPERIOR to anything you’ll find in this city. Get your orders in now!