Tina O'Brien was ready to open her restaurant, Wild Honey On Main, in May. Instead, she held off until July, when she had finally received her liquor license from the State Liquor Authority. 

"There were horrible delays," she said, noting that the wait could have been as long as six months. Instead, she hired a liquor license expert who knows the ins and outs of the process, and a lawyer, who helped whittle the wait down to 2.5 months.

O'Brien is not alone. Across Long Island and New York state, small businesses, from gas stations, restaurants, grocery stores, and other venues were  hurt by the inability to serve and sell alcohol while the SLA spent months processing their permit applications.

As O'Brien points out, owners could spend months paying rent without maximizing their potential revenue stream while waiting for their liquor license. The wait could also diminish their contribution to the tax base, or prevent them from creating new jobs.

But a new pilot program could end the backlog liquor license applications. New legislation created by Sen. Craig M. Johnson, (D-Port Washington) was signed into law Thursday, and will help businesses get up and running without being affected by the notoriously long wait.

"We've created a responsible system where businesses can get off the ground without being harmed by factors beyond their control," Senator Johnson said in a statement. "Businesses will have the opportunity to operate at their full potential sooner and help strengthen their local economies."

Under the new system, which takes effect in October, businesses can apply for a 90-day temporary permit, followed by a 30-day extension if the application has yet to be processed. That's good news, O'Brien says. 

Asked how the process sounded for new business owners going forward, she said, "It would be a relief."