Longtime Restaurants, Liquor Store Slapped for Selling Beer to Teens

Two longtime East Providence restaurants and a liquor store were fined Tuesday night by the City Council sitting as the liquor license board for selling alcohol to minors – including 17-year-olds. 

Warren Avenue Liquor Mart, 208 Warren Ave.; Gregg’s Restaurant, 1940 Pawtucket Ave., and East Providence House of Pizza, 187 Willett Ave., were fined $250 each for selling beer to teenagers back in February. That is the minimum fine.

The offenses were the first each for the businesses, said Sgt. John Andrews, supervisor of the East Providence Police Department's community policing office.

Andrews did not ask for leniency, though. He asked for the minimum fines and even suggested the councilors consider the age of several of the buyers. The amount of the fine could have turned into $500 because of the 17-year-old teens.

City Councilor Chrissy Rossi voted in favor of the fines but said she has a problem with the police using teens in a sting to catch liquor law violators. She said some teens can look much older.

Andrews said the teens do not attempt to look older than they are. They are told, in fact, to look like they are under age, he said.

An attorney for Gregg’s and the owner of the Riverside pizza shop did not deny that the businesses broke the law. They did ask the City Council to consider the fact that they are longtime businesses and were brought before the council for the first time ever.

Andrews said the stores were “stung” in early February by 17, 18, and 19-year-olds sent into the businesses in pairs by the police department working with the East Providence Prevention Coalition to try to buy alcohol. In each case, they were sold booze, which they reported to a police officer waiting outside. The officer completed the bust. 

The teens, a 17-year-old girl and a 19-year-old guy, sat at the downstairs bar in Gregg’s and ordered beers. They were not asked for IDs, said Andrews.

“The problem is that it was a 17-year-old served,” he said. “That’s a major problem for me.”

Teens ages 17 and 18 were served beer at the pizza shop, Andrews said, after they gave the server their drink order. They were not carded.

Teens ages 18 and 19 were sold a 6-pack of beer at the liquor mart even after they were carded and told the clerk they had no IDs and were underage, Andrews said.

The stores are among nine local businesses – including five liquor stores -- that were “stung” in February and March. Three more businesses -- all repeat violators -- will go before the City Council in two weeks in a “show-cause” hearing, Andrews said.

That will give the City Council something to think about, Andrews said. 

The repeat violators are Brookfield Liquors, stung for the second time; the Comedy Connection nightclub, stung for the second time, and the East Buffet restaurant, stung for a third time. The first two face minimum $500 fines, said Andrews. The restaurant's fine could be $1,000 and the possible loss of its liquor license, he said.