HomeMy WebLinkAboutLIQUOR COMMISSION - 03/01/2000 - HONEST JOHNS CO
ELK GROVE VILLAGE
LIQUOR COMMISSION
PUBLIC HEARING
AESOP' TABLES, INC.
dba
HONEST JOHN'S
1000 Busse Road
MARCH 1, 2000
COUNCIL CHAMBERS
PRESENT: Craig B. Johnson, Liquor Commissioner
Trustee James P. Petri
Trustee Samuel L. Lissner
George B. Knickerbocker, Village Attorney
Ann I . Walsh, Village Clerk
Gina Nunes, Court Reporter
ALSO PRESENT Neal C. Walter
David Becker
Robert J. Habeeb
Elk Grove Police Officer Matthew Fiorito
President Johnson called the hearing to order at 6: 35 p.m. and
stated for the record the Liquor Commission is meeting to
consider evidence concerning the sale of alcohol to minors, on
February 9, 2000, that was served by an employee younger than the
age of 21 years, and the possible suspension and/or revocation of
liquor license of Honest John' s, 1000 Busse Road, Elk Grove
Village, Illinois.
Attorney Neal C. Walter introduced himself as the representative
for the respondents .
Ms Nunes swore in Police Officer Matthew Fiorito as witnesses
herein.
Officer Fiorito related the events that took place on February 9,
2000 at which time he observed three subjects sitting at a table
drinking corona beers.
Ms. Nunes swore in Mr. David S. Becker, general manager of Honest
John' s.
Attorney Walter introduced three (3) Exhibits for the record:
Exhibit 1 - proceedings of the Liquor Control Act of 1934;
Exhibit 2 - Illinois Administrative Procedure Act concerning
rules of evidence and
Exhibit 3 - information regarding the case Cochrane' s of
Champaign, Inc.
Officer Fiorito continued to describe the events eventually
leading up to the arrest of the minors and the server who was
also under the age of 21 .
Cross examination of the officer by Attorney Walter followed.
Mr. David Becker was called as a witness herein, having been
previously duly sworn, and was examined and testified.
Testimony of Mr. David Becker is contained within the court
reporter' s transcript that is attached hereto and made a part
hereof.
Ms . Nunes swore in Robert Habeeb, President of First Hospitality
Group, managing agent of Honest Johns (contract manager) .
A complete testimony of Mr. Habeeb is contained in the court
reporter' s transcript attached hereto and made a part hereof.
Discussion followed regarding Honest John' s present policies
regarding the serving of alcohol and precautions to be taken in
the future . The Liquor Commissioner stated that servers in Elk
Grove Village must be 21 years of age.
Upon hearing the testimony given, the Liquor Commission and
Village Attorney adjourned to deliberate in closed session.
When the Commission returned to open session, the Liquor
Commissioner stressed his resolve to take every step possible to
make sure the sale of liquor to minors in Elk Grove Village does
not occur.
A fine of $250 . 00 was imposed for selling alcohol to minors .
The Commissioner explained the three-strike rule of the
Commission: (1) First strike is a fine, (2) second strike is a
fine with a mandatory suspension and (3) third strike will result
in a loss of license to do business in the community.
2 Liquor Commission
Public Hearing -March 1, 2000
Honest Johns
The Commissioner then noted that testimony during the hearing
showed Honest John' s is taking strong steps to prevent further
problems and recognized that there was some confusion regarding
the required age to serve alcohol due to incorrect information
received during the Bassett training. As a result of this
testimony, suspension of the liquor license was not ordered by
the Commission
A fine of $500 . 00 was imposed for allowing alcohol to be served
by an underage server. It was noted that Honest John' s had been
sited one other time for the same violation. The respondent
shall also pay for all court reporter fees incurred this date.
The meeting adjourned at 7 : 50 p.m.
Village Clerk
C: President and Board of Trustees, Village Manager,
Police Chief, Village Attorney, Village Clerk
3 Liquor Commission
Public Hearing -March 1, 2000
Honest Johns