Not getting a Bloody Mary with Sunday morning brunch may elicit a few grumbles over eggs Benedict, but it hardly inspires people to pick up placards and protest.
Especially after such a big meal.
Which might explain why we're stuck with one of the leftovers from the state's blue laws: the archaic prohibition on serving beer and alcohol at restaurants and bars before noon on Sundays.
You can buy beer at 7-Eleven at 8 a.m. Sunday and order a mimosa at 10 on a Saturday morning, but don't expect to get a Bellini with your late-morning brunch Sunday.
It's still illegal.
Pick any other day of the week, and the state says it's fine - just not Sunday.
That old law fizzed to the surface last week, along with news that state lawmakers considered their own misplaced proposal regarding Sunday morning alcohol sales before heading home for summer break.
A bill that passed the Assembly but stalled in the State Senate would have allowed large stadiums, such as the Ralph, to serve beer starting at 11 a.m.
The justification was that if you could sell beer in the stadium an hour earlier, people could drink safely away from the chaos of tailgate parties.
The problem isn't that lawmakers wanted to tinker with the Sunday ban. That change is a long time coming, especially considering the state has already loosened restrictions on Sunday beer and liquor sales in stores.
The issue is that it's just not fair to change the law for one industry, while others are strapped by the old rules. If it's OK for a stadium to sell beer earlier on Sunday, why not a restaurant or a bar?
To Dan Prenoveau, it's about keeping the playing field level. The co-owner and manager of Danny's South on Abbott Road says his restaurant is already at a disadvantage during the nine home games just down the road at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
Fans can walk into a convenience store on a Sunday morning and buy beer for their tailgating party. But he can't serve beer before noon to fans who come to his game day brunch.
"The Sunday morning thing, I think, is kind of prehistoric," Prenoveau said. "New York State is very hard to work with. They work against the businesses, instead of working with us."
Prenoveau sees it as a missed opportunity for revenue growth on already-busy days. Giving the stadium the advantage of earlier beer sales would be like moving the end zone 10 yards closer for the bigger team.
"For one business to have an advantage over the other is where it's unfair," Prenoveau said.
He's got a point. Why not allow all types of businesses that serve beer and alcohol to start earlier on Sundays?
The state has already peeled back many of the Sunday blue laws that shut down businesses and curbed alcohol sales in the name of religion. Liquor stores were given the go-ahead to open on Sundays, after noon, in 2003. Stores were allowed to sell beer starting at 8 a.m. on Sundays six years ago.
So why are we still clinging to the outdated notion that Sunday morning should be off limits for restaurants, bars and other venues to decide if they want to offer alcoholic drinks?
It's not just about having your brunch and drinking it, too. It's about getting rid of just another illogical restriction on business.
The issue is that it's just not fair to change the law for one industry.
