Four Algonquin Businesses Plead Guilty to Selling Alcohol to Minors

Four Algonquin restaurants pleaded guilty and were fined Tuesday for selling alcohol to minors during a December 2012 compliance check.

The fines were handed down during an Algonquin Liquor Commission hearing where a fifth business, Wine & Roses, 1130 South Main Street, received a continuance because the owner, John Wesolowski, has been ill.

Wesolowski plans to hire an attorney to represent him at another hearing. This is the fourth violation against Wine & Roses. There were two violations filed in 2005 and one violation in 2006, Village President John Schmitt said.

Algonquin police sent in two underage agents into Wine & Roses, along with the other restaurants, on Dec. 19, 2012 to purchase two bottles of beer. In each restaurant, the minors were served the alcohol, police said. Officers also found some servers did not have Beverage Alcohol Sellers and Servers Education and Training (BASSET) training as required by village ordinance and state law.

Tuesday, the liquor commission fined the following businesses on two counts of selling alcohol to minors, BASSETT violations and court costs:

Chipotle Mexican Grill

412 South Randall Road

Fine: $2,000, $500 fine for violating the BASSET requirement.

The restaurant will be masking sure cashiers are BASSET trained and licensed.

BuddyZ A Chicago Pizzeria

2749 West Algonquin Road

Fine: $2,000, $500 BASSET violation

Owner Pete Scarnato told commissioners that he thought the employee serving that night had BASSET certification. “I apologize to the liquor commission,” he said. “This is something we take very strongly.”

Bangkok

4077 West Algonquin Road

Fine: $2,000

There was no BASSET violation, but the owner told commissioners that the server did not ask for identification.

Foley’s Pub

3965-67 West Algonquin Road

Fine: $2,000, $500 BASSET violation

One count of a BASSET violation was dismissed because the business had not been opened for 90 days, the waiting period before employees must obtain training. Owner Dave Foley said he did not have a full staff and the server that night was inexperienced. Schmitt said he knew the restaurant had been opened 87 days but he didn’t understand why Foley didn’t make an attempt to get his employees BASSET training.

Trustee Brian Dianis told several businesses that there needs to be a corporate culture that reinforces the importance of not serving alcohol to minors and being vigilant it does not happen.

“It needs to be a wakeup call to every manager and employee to realize the importance of it,” Trustee Robert Smith said during the hearings.